Take a Drunk Girl Home
by Rosedivinity92
Summary: When a red-head is being harassed at a bar, will Jace step in, or let his staff take care of it.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! My name is RoseDivinity! I haven't ever written a fanfic before, but I have been going through some truly awful stuff IRL and needed an escape. This song kept playing in my car, "Take a drunk girl home" and this popped into my head. This is PROBABLY a 1 shot. I mean unless people want more. I know it's not the greatest but... here is my first ever fan fiction.

Obviously I don't own the characters, or even the song, just this random AU.

"Jace, Jace, JACE." Isabelle voice yelled in her brother's ear. Jace turned to look at his sister, an annoyed look on his face.

"What?!" He asked impatiently, looking away from the live band that was playing.

"Look at that girl." She said pointing to the corner of the bar. From the table they were at Jace could barely see the girl his sister was pointing to. Then someone moved out of his way and he saw her. At maybe five foot tall the girl looked absolutely trashed, and absolutely terrified. Without a second thought Jace was on his feet and headed her direction, thankful for Izzy's sharp eye. As the owner of the bar they were at he didn't generally get in the way of what his customers were doing. Not unless it was illegal, generally he wouldn't even be the one to break up fights in the place. He trusted his staff to take care of Pandemonium without his interference. However something in the look in the red-head's eyes made him reconsider his usual hands-off approach. As he got closer he could see the man standing not even a foot from the girl, his hand running through her hair. The girl hand her back up against the bar and was looking from side to side, and it looked like she was desperately trying to get away.

"Please let go of my hair." She said quietly, the words slurring together. Jace was close now, close enough to hear their words.

"Come on baby, I can tell you are here looking for a good time, and hey, so am I. Let me show you," his hand trailed down from her hair and latched on to her hip. Jace didn't know why, but suddenly he was seeing red.

"Sir, I believe she asked you to let her go." He said, coming up behind the man and putting his hand on his shoulder. His voice was cold and calm, not showing the storm underneath the facade. The guy turned around and knocked Jace's arm away from him.

"Look man, I'm just trying to have some fun, and red here is loving my attention, aren't you baby?" He said, his voice a sneer. Jace looked between the two and saw his hand dig further into the red head's hip, fingerprint bruises probably already starting to form. The girl looked up at Jace in horror and yelped at the rough handling. Jace sighed quietly and then put his hand on the wrist of the hand on her hip.

"She doesn't look like she is having fun. So step off, before I get security." He said, his voice firm. At this point he could feel eyes starting to turn towards them. His younger sister and older brother were both making their way over to where he was standing. The offending man wasn't all that intimidating to Jace. He stood around the same height, and he was much bulkier but he was drunk, and his movements were sloppy. Jace quickly moved his hand, taking the large man's hand off of the incredibly tiny girl. His sister was there in an instant, stepping to the side and grabbing the girl and pulling her towards her. His brother was at his side. The man made a move that looked like he was going to swing and Jace almost laughed as Alec grabbed his arm and twisted it behind the man's back. Jace took a step back, and with a single shake of his head security was all around them. He waved his hand and ignored the curses and ramblings of the man who was now being taken out the side door. He shook his head and turned his attention to where his sister and the girl were standing. She looked up at him with large green eyes shining.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean... I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I'll leave now." She said spinning around and reaching for what must be her bag. She stumbled as she went to grab it, clearly intoxicated. Izzy shook her head and grabbed the girl's arm.

"You didn't do anything wrong, don't worry about it. And we can't have you leaving for a little while, let's make sure that bastard is gone first, hmm?" She said soothingly. After owning the bar for nearly ten years she was rather accustomed to talking to drunk people. She let the girl go and she looked up at them again.

"I...I'm clary." She said quietly looking down at the floor. Jace suddenly had the urge to put his hand under her chin, to make her look at him and his family. He wanted to tell her everything was fine and it was no big deal. He shook the thought away immediately. He looked back down at her as Izzy introduced herself, and them him, and their brother. He stood a step back, observing the interaction. Slowly he noticed something that he hadn't earlier. Her cheeks had tracks, obviously from dried tears. Her mascara was smudged and her eyeliner was missing bits. Why was this beautiful girl crying alone in his bar. He wanted to ask her, but he knew it wasn't his business.

"Is everything okay? You look upset." Izzy asked the girl, and suddenly he tuned in to the conversation. He looked around the bar, as if he wasn't paying attention, but kept his focus on what the girls were saying.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." The girl, Clary, said quietly. "Walked in on my fiancé and my best friend." She sucked in a deep breath, "I knew it was happening, I'd known for a while, but..." she trailed off. Izzy looked at her and then caught Jace's eye. She waved the bartender down,

"Hey Seb, can you hook us ladies up with some shots? It's been a long night." She batted her eyelashes at the bartender and he shook his head before lining up a few shot glasses on the bar. "The good stuff, Jace is buying." She said and winked. He shook his head again before reaching for the top shelf. Tequila, now Jace was shaking his head, it was going to be a long night. Clary looked at the shots and shrugged before her and Izzy downed the first one together. They looked at each other and the second one was gone as well.

"Ladies, maybe slow down?" Alec asked, his voice a mixture of annoyance and concern. Izzy laughed and clary swayed for a moment before joining in on the laughter. Jace walked a few steps away before Izzy was behind him,

"She's cute... right?" She said with a wicked gleam in her eye. Jace rolled his own eyes at her. His sister was always trying to play matchmaker with him. After realizing that her other brother was just about as gay as them come, she had made it her life goal to hook Jace up with someone that would be her best friend.

"Izzy, go back to your friend, have a good night, tell Seb the tab is on me." He said and walked away. Cute, Isabelle had called her cute, as if that somehow described the little red head. Even with smeared makeup and her hair in her face, she was far more than cute. Behind the tear tracks he could see the freckles that dotted her face under her foundation. He could see the brilliance in her bright green eyes. He sucked in a breath as he heard her laugh from across the room. Even with the band playing at full volume he still could hear her, as if he was already attuned to her. He shook his head again and looked at the clock. It was almost closing time already. For a Friday night, they were packed.

Time passed more slowly than usual as he tried his best to not look the direction of his sister and Clary. The bar was closing now though, and he had to close out their tab and get Izzy a ride home. He walked over to where they were sitting, talking to each other in drunk 'whispers'.

"Alright, we are closing up. Izzy I already called Simon to come get you." He said looking at his sister. Her eyes were wide and bright and her smile showed off her perfect teeth. "Clary, I'll go ahead and call you a cab." He said looking down at her. She nodded for a moment before setting her head down in her arms, and instantly falling asleep. He laughed, loudly. "What did you give her?" He asked his sister as he helped her up from the table. Izzy said something more about tequila and he just nodded. There was no way he was putting this girl in a cab like this. He didn't understand why he was suddenly so protective of her. Maybe it was that she had told them about her fiancé, or that he had already seen someone else's hands on her and the thought almost sent him back into a rage. Izzy looked between them before grinning, "Just take her up to your place Jace. I know you'll be a perfect gentleman." She said her voice serious. Jace looked at her and sighed. She was right of course. His apartment above the bar, where he only lived on weekends, had a decently comfortable couch. He would, of course, sleep there, and give the girl his bed. He nodded his head towards the door as his sister's long term boyfriend walked in. Simon took one look at his girlfriend and his shoulders slumped. Izzy didn't get drunk often, but when she did, she was generally a wreck. Simon slowly pulled her towards him and with a quick goodbye he helped her walk out the front door. Alec had left over an hour prior, after a call from his boyfriend. That left Jace with Clary, very, very drunk Clary.

"Come on pretty girl." He said quietly, before walking over to where she was sitting and picking her up. She was almost laughably small in his arms. He was well over a foot taller than her and the thought made him smile. She drunkenly wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning her head on his shoulder. He started up the stairs when he felt something wet on his neck. At first he thought the drunk girl was drooling on him, but a moment later, when he was holding her in his living room, he could feel the rising and falling of her chest, as she cried. He slowly opened the door to his bedroom, meaning to just lay the girl down and leave her alone for the night. As soon as she touched the bed she locked her arms around him, pulling him down beside her. "Clary, let go." He said quietly, trying to get her to remove her death grip on his shirt. She shook her head slowly. Every movement she made it became more and more obvious just how drunk she was. She was swaying from side to side and her eyes were drooping shut. She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and before he could even comprehend what was happening, she was kissing him. The kiss was sloppy, and tasted like tequila and the salt from her tears. His body instantly reacted, before his mind had a chance to say no. He let himself kiss her back for a moment, before pulling himself back. He stood for a second, disgusted with himself. He had never taken advantage of a drunk girl before, and he wouldn't start now.

"come back." She whispered. Her voice was soft, and wavered, "am I not pretty enough? Is that why? Is that why he picked her, why you don't want me. Why everyone leaves me?" The questions tumbled out of her mouth and Jace fought the urge to gather her into his arms.

"Clary, you are beautiful, so much more than beautiful. He was an idiot. But you are very drunk. So please, can we talk about this tomorrow?" He asked as he pulled her hands from his clothing. She nodded slowly, the tears that had stopped coming back now.

"Stay, just... just till I fall asleep?" She said quietly, Jace sighed and sat down beside her. He could feel her crying turn to sobs, and the bed shook with her emotion. He struggled for a moment, trying to figure out what he should do. He turned to face her on the bed, before laying down and running his fingers through her soft red hair.

"Sleep clary." He said quietly as the bed stopped shaking. She nodded for a moment and then her breathing evened out. Jace smiled, happy that she was finally asleep. He waited a few minutes and then rolled himself off the bed. He stripped off his shirt and jeans and kicked them beside the wall. He never left things out of place, his OCD kept him from living in mess, but he didnt' want to wake clary but moving around. Slowly he got an extra blanket out of the closet and threw it over her sleeping form. He took out another blanket and made his way out to the couch. He laid down and after a quick replay of the events of the night, was asleep.

Clary woke up and opened her eyes, only to quickly slam them shut again. Her head was pounding and her stomach heaved. She knew she only had moments before the events of last night came back up. She opened her eyes and realized she was someplace completely unfamiliar. She looked around and saw a door, praying it was to the bathroom. She jumped up, opened the door, and was very glad the toilet looked at least reasonably clean before she shoved her face into it. Her stomach emptied itself. Not once, not twice, but three times. And she groaned as she felt the final twist of her insides. She looked down and realized she was still wearing what she had worn to work the day before. Her jeans were splattered with paint, her white shirt clean, except for a blob of black on the back of the wrist, more than likely from wiping away her mascara tears the night before. She shuddered as the events of the night before started trickling back to her. Walking in on Jordan and Maia wasn't something she ever thought she would do. She knew he was screwing around. She knew her best friend had become distant at best, but she had hoped she was wrong. Coming in early from work and seeing them in her bed, that had been more than she could handle. She quickly had shut the door behind her, and run down the apartment complex stairs and out into the cold. She only lived a few blocks from a whole row of bars, and while Clary wasn't much of a drinker, she thought she could make an exception. The first bar had been too quiet. The bartender had taken one look at her tear stained face and had started asking questions. She wasn't ready to explain so she quickly paid her tab and left. She wandered down the street until she reached Pandemonium. The night club slash bar had a sign up that said live music. That would at least mean no one asking her what was wrong. She had quickly found herself drinking, shot after shot. Then a man had walked up to her, things started to feel fuzzy as she tried to remember the man, what he had said, what he had done. Then it clicked in and she reached down to pull down her jeans, the hand print shaped bruise on her hip told her what she needed to know about that interaction. She shook her head, trying to remember the rest. A girl with long black hair, who was impossibly beautiful. A boy with blue eyes looking at her with pity. And Gold. So much gold. Was the gold a person? Was she so drunk she imagined someone with gold eyes? She shook her head again, trying to clear out her thoughts. Slowly she peeled herself up off the floor. She quickly rinsed her face with cold water before she walked back into the bedroom. There was a set of clothing rumpled up on the floor. Male, jeans and a button down. She slowly opened the bedroom door, looking for her purse to make her escape. The colorful bag caught her eye from the kitchen counter. She looked down and saw her phone was plugged in beside her bag. Thoughtful. 27 missed calls from Jordan, 19 texts from him as well. 1 text from Maia. 'I'm sorry' it read. She shook her head, wincing at the pain that that simple movement brought. Then she looked under her phone and there was a piece of paper, a note?

Had to go to work, Bottle of water in the fridge and I left some headache medicine beside the bed for you. I'm sure you'll need it after last night. If you want to come down and say hi, Take the staircase to the right, if you want to leave, the stairs to the left will take you out the back door.

Jace

000-000-1928

Her heart stopped as she read the note. Embarrassment flooded her, her cheeks changing to a deep red. This must be the blue eyed boy. He must have brought her to his place. She took a deep breath. Did she want to meet this guy, she was sure she had made enough of a fool of herself already. But still, as she looked down at her fully dressed body, she wanted to thank him. Most guys would not have left her to sleep on their bed when she was that drunk. She truly hoped she hadn't done anything to foolish. She sighed and then ran her fingers through her messy hair. After retrieving the medicine and a bottle of water she slowly grabbed her bag and closed her eyes, before taking the staircase to the right.

Jace looked up from the paperwork he was working on at the bar as his door opened. Out stepped Clary, who stood looking around. Her eyes were duller today, but she still took his breath away. He was sure that he had somehow made up how beautiful she was in his head. Even after seeing her when he grabbed clothes for the morning, he couldn't bring himself to believe she was really as he remembered. Her heart shaped mouth was set in a frown as she took in the empty bar around them. Slowly, her eyes traveled to where he sat, motionless, staring up at her. Her mouth formed an 'O' as she took him in. He smiled at her and then nodded his head before standing up. He shoved his hands in his pockets, scolding himself in his head. In high school when he was nervous he would shove his hands in his pockets and look down at the ground. He was almost thirty now, and he suddenly found himself doing the same thing.

"You must be Jace." She said quietly, smiling up at him. He laughed and nodded, unsure what to say. He was positive that she didn't remember much, if any, of the night before.

"That's me. How you feelin?" He asked, surprised at how concerned he was with her wellbeing. She shrugged and then winced as that movement pulled her purse into her hip. For a moment Jace was confused, before remember the hands of the man the night before. He looked down at her hip and she blushed, her eyes taking to the floor. "I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner." He said, his hand covering hers on the bar for a moment. She shook her head and smiled at him,

"I don't remember much, but I know you got there before things got...too out of hand." She said slowly. He looked back down at her hip. The masochistic part of himself wanting to see the bruise he was sure was there. He reached down towards her and she flinched backwards for a moment before allowing him to tug down the side of her jeans. The angry purple and yellow marks, 5 perfect fingers, dug into her flesh. Jace tried to keep his face impassive, but the sparks of red flew up before he could get himself under control. How dare anyone, lay a hand on her. How dare a man every lay a hand on a woman. He ran his hand over his face a few times, trying to reset his mind. Trying to calm himself. "Hey," she whispered, grabbing his hand from his face, "Relax. It's a bruise, I'll heal." She said trying to console him. She held on to his hand, watching the rage in his face, until it melted away.

"I'm sorry." He said, before slowly taking his hand back. The instant loss of her warmth made his chest ache. "sorry about my sister last night, when she finds someone who will drink with her...sometimes things get out of hand." He laughed as Clary rolled her eyes.

"I remember just about nothing, which to be fair, is why I was here to begin with." She shrugged. "Did I miss anything important?" She asked, her tone light, but the worst implying something much heavier. Jace shook his head,

"You were pretty upset about some guy..." he started. Pain flashed across her face and he wanted to take the words back. "You got pretty blitzed with my sister, and then I brought you upstairs and put you to bed." He wasn't sure if he should mention the kiss. She didn't remember it and he didn't want her to think badly of him for kissing him back. She looked up at him for a moment, and then horror set in behind her eyes.

"Oh god." She said, her hand coming up to her mouth. Jace's head whipped back to her, trying to figure out what was wrong, how he could help. She took a step back away from him. "I kissed you." She said. Her voice was shaking, unshed tears forming in her eyes. Jace took in deep breath, and slowly nodded. He wasn't going to lie to her, that wasn't who he was. "I'm so sorry, so so sorry." She said, her words rushed. "You just tried to get me someplace safe, you tried to take care of me, and I practically assaulted you!" Her voice came out almost as a squeak at the end. Jace's lips turned upward in a smile.

"Clary, it's fine. I'm used to beautiful women throwing themselves at me." He said with a smirk. Her eyes blazed for a moment, and he wondered if he had said the wrong thing, before she laughed.

"Yes, but how many times do sobbing, drunk, maniac's throw themselves at you?" She asked her voice light but he could sense the tension.

"Clary, it really isn't a big deal. You were drunk, I know you didn't mean it." He put his hand on her chin, forcing her to look up at him, like he had wanted to do the night before. Her eyes searched his for a moment before she smiled.

"Maybe I did mean it." She said her head slightly cocked to the side like she was thinking. Jace's breath caught in his chest. She couldn't mean it, she couldn't say that she felt the spark he did. Every time he touched her, or she touched him. It was electric. He looked at her, her eyes shining as she looked back at him. And then she was closer, he could feel the heat emanating off of her body. "I don't remember though..." she trailed off quietly.

"I could remind you." The words left his lips before he had time to think about them, before he had time to stop them. The world stood still as her lips curved up, neither of them daring to breathe.

"I'd like that." She said, her voice sure and steady. That was all Jace needed, he stood from the barstool he had been sitting on and closed the gap between them. The air around them even seemed to stop moving as he bent down and caught her lips with his own.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys, thanks for all the positive feedback! I really needed someone to tell me I didn't suck. I have literally no idea where this story is going, and I've never written anything from the male perspective before...so...its an adventure for me as well! I already have most of chapter 3 written also so I may end up posting a lot for the next few days...

anyways,

thanks!

The crackle of energy, sparks and fire. Jace wasn't sure who pulled away first. He barely registered how uneven his breathing was. Clary's cheeks were tinged pink, her breathing soft but short. Jace leaned his forehead against hers for a moment before softly touching his lips to hers again. This kiss was different, less intense, less needy. He pulled away, trying to pull himself back together, and for a second felt his self control slip away as a soft whimper left Clary's lips. He pulled away completely and let go of Clary's face. He was unaware he had even moved his hand to touch her, it just seemed to happen, seemed to be natural. Jace could feel the corner of his mouth turn up, a smirk, something he had locked away years before.

"Well...that was...intense." He said, stepping backwards and looking at the wall behind Clary. He knew if he looked at her, he would be kissing her again. He could feel the change in the room, almost instantaneously. What had been an almost awkward calm was now interrupted as Clary drew in a breath. He thought she would respond, maybe she would tell him she felt it too. Maybe she would scream at him, tell him not to touch her, shove him away and walk out the door. Honestly Jace wouldn't blame her if she did. It was unfair of him to kiss her, when he knew she was vulnerable. He raked his hand through his hair and then dared to look over at her. Her eyes were closed still, and he had to urge to shake her, anything to make her look at him again. With a sharp intake of air he realized she was crying. Not the occasional tear, but a stream of tears falling in rivers down her freckled cheeks. The urge to reach out and pull her into his chest was almost more than he could take. He couldn't wrap his head around why this girl had such an effect on him. Yes she was 'pretty' in the words of his ineloquent sister. She was small, but generally that wasn't even his type. Jace liked tall girls, thin, blonde, busty. Girls who wore short skirts and didn't use their mouth to kiss him, at least not on his mouth. Maybe it was all the years of listening to his adoptive mother cry over her husband's infidelity. Maryse was a strong woman, capable of many things. She was a lawyer, a damn good one at that. Strong and tall and feared in the court room and in her own home. Yet somehow every time Robert, her husband of over thirty years, came home smelling like another cheap date, she seemed to shrink. She never cried in front of the children, not even eight years ago, when Robert had walked out with a gold-digging blonde, who was not even as old as his son. Jace could see the day clearly, when a frantic call from his older brother had him racing back to his childhood home. When he arrived it was just in time to see Maryse standing at the front door. Robert's suitcase was in his trunk, the blonde girl, in the passenger seat of his 'mid life crisis' car. Maryse's face was stoic though, as he slammed the trunk and then drove out of the driveway. Alec was holding Isabelle, standing behind their mother. Isabelle had always been a daddy's girl. Robert had dotted on her ever whim as a child. She grew up with his love and affection. Jace and Alec had known for years about his indiscretion. Jace was ten when he moved in with the Lightwoods, and within a few months he understood that the couple was unhappy. They had been sheltered from the brunt of the drama though, as children should be. Jace shook the thought of Maryse's face, the empty look in her eyes, out of his head. He looked down at the small red-head in front of him. The tears seemed to be endless, not that he really blamed her.

"Clary..." her name rolled of his lips like a prayer. Her eyes shot open and she looked at him, horror once again gracing her angelic features.

"Oh god, Jace. I'm so sorry." She said quickly. Jace could feel his forehead wrinkle. Why was she apologizing. "I'm such a mess. I should go." She said quietly, grabbing her bag that she had dropped. "Thank you for last night, really. I can't imagine what would have happened had you not been the stand up guy you seem to be." She shuddered and turned to walk out the door and Jace stood paralyzed. Did he let her walk away, he didn't even have her number. How would he know if she was okay? Where would she go? She must live with her fiancé, so now what would she do?

"Clary... wait!" Jace called out. His voice sounded almost desperate and he wished he could fix it. Wished he could come off less needy, more detached. Clary turned around, uncertainty playing on all of her features. "I... can I at least have your number? I just... want to know you are okay." He said, trying much harder than he should have to, to sound nonchalant. Clary smiled at him sadly, and shrugged.

"Really Jace, you don't have to. Trust me, I understand well enough." She sounded sad, resigned. Jace was confused. He took a step towards her as she made her way towards the door. She was walking away, slipping away, and part of him knew he couldn't let that happen. He caught up to her in 4 steps, his height suddenly an advantage.

"Clary, what are you talking about?" He said grabbing her wrist lightly. He recoiled in on himself as he realized he had just grabbed her. What if he had hurt her? He pulled his hand back. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that." He said, his voice burning his apology into her. He could remember his birth father grabbing his mother by the arm every time she tried to walk away. Could remember the bruises that littered her arms, and then, the final ones that had bloomed on her neck. The last bruises. She looked down at her wrist and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Jace...It's... it's fine. You didn't ... you didn't hurt me." She said her voice soft, a soothing lull he didn't understand. His arm dropped back down to his side and he looked at the ground. "Jace," she reached down and grabbed his hand, and he tried to ignore the aftershocks of electricity he felt at her willing touch. Her hands were soft, almost as soft as her eyes. "Seriously Jace. It's okay. I promise. Here, give me your phone." Her words were slow and as they registered he breathed in a sigh of relief and looked back up at her, pulling his phone from his pocket. She took it from him and tapped on the screen for a moment before handing it back to him. He looked down at it momentarily and smiled as he saw the new contact listed. Her name and phone number were in his phone. "Jace, I have to go. I need... I guess I need to pack." He could hear the break in her voice. He nodded and stepped away from her once again, already missing the warmth of her touch. "Text me?" She said, her voice a burning question.

"Yeah red, I'll text you." He said, his voice finally back to its normal tenor. She smiled and turned, walking out the front door of his bar.

Jace wasn't sure what the rule was for this. How long did he have to wait to text her exactly? He shook his head and looked back down at his phone before shoving it in his pocket. He walked back over to the laptop he had been working on, the alcohol order wouldn't put itself in. He was pulled out of his thoughts some time later by a chirp at the door, someone had let themself in with the code. The only options were his brother or sister, and judging from the click of heels, it was probably the latter.

"Jace." She said shortly, before sitting down beside him. He turned to look at her and smiled, it was good she couldn't always escape the hangover.

"You look rough Iz." He said with a laugh. His sister was usually the most put together girl, in any room. She was still gorgeous of course, but her makeup was less sultry today. She looked younger, more innocent.

"Yeah yeah, don't remind me." She said shaking her head and wincing. "So..." she said turning to her brother with a wicked grin. "What about the girl?" She asked. Iz was never one to beat around the bush, "How was last night?" She asked wiggling her eyebrows. Jace shook his head in disgust.

"Isabelle Lightwood. She was drunk. I carried her upstairs, put her into my bed, and slept on my couch." He said through his teeth. His sister should know better by now. Her shoulder slumped and she nodded her head.

"I figured as much... just... she was so cute." She said with a sad voice. He knew his sister meant well, in her own odd way.

"Cute doesn't even scratch the surface Iz, it really doesn't." He said quietly, his eyes trained back on the alcohol order he still hadn't been able to focus enough to send. He could feel his sister practically vibrating with excitement beside him. He sighed to himself, he shouldn't have said anything.

"Oh yeah...what would then? Scratch the surface I mean?" She asked her voice light and teasing. He turned to say something sarcastic and biting to her, and then he caught her eyes. He could see the hope that was starting to form and he admitted defeat.

"Alright Iz... I'll tell you..." he sighed again, "I'll tell you everything." He was defeated. Only Isabelle could make today about herself. And then he started. He started with telling her about the night before. About drunk Clary kissing him. He led into the note he left her, and how he had come down this morning not knowing if she would even want to meet him. He brought up their conversation. He told her about how she had a bruise on her hip from the bastard who had grabbed her. He slowed his words as he told her about he kiss. He waited for the teasing to begin, for his sister to mock how serious he was being. It was silly after all, for a thirty year old man to be so caught up in a kiss. Jace was surprised when Izzy didn't say anything, her eyes on him as he finished the story. He looked down at the phone in his hand and then he looked back up at his sister.

"Oh..." she said a small smile playing at her lips. "I see." She continued, the smile growing by the second, until he thought it would take over her entire face. "You like her." She said her voice certain. Jace rolled his eyes.

"Isabelle, I met her last night, we talked for less than 30 minutes today, I highly doubt that is enough time to like someone." He continued while pressing send on the order that should have been sent hours before. Iz looked over at him with contempt clear in her eyes.

"Text her." She said, her voice short. Jace shook his head.

"Not yet, she only just left." He replied.

"Jace, its been a solid 8 hours since she left." Jace looked up at her, disturbed. There was no way he had gotten so lost in his thoughts that he had missed an entire day. He looked at his phone again and saw the time, the club would be opening in only an hour. He grabbed his phone and clicked on her contact information again. He looked back at his sister who shrugged her shoulders and stood up. "I have to go check in with tonight's band. Just text her." She said before bouncing away. Jace inhaled deeply before typing out a short message.

"Hey, it's Jace. Just wanted to make sure you were okay." He pressed send and then ran his hand through his hair again. He was sure he wouldn't hear back from her, at least not for a while. His whole body felt his phone suddenly vibrate from beside him.

"Everything sucks." Was all the response said. His breathing caught in his throat. Was she okay? What was wrong?

"Anything I can do?" He responded, his focus fully on the device in front of him.

"Can you pick me up?" The message came in and I was already heading over to where Izzy stood with the rest of my staff. "I mean, I understand if you can't." The message followed the previous one. "I shouldn't have asked you that." Followed that one. Jace rolled his eyes.

"Give me an address and 15 minutes." He responded. Izzy looked up from her shift meeting with the staff.

"Hey Iz, I gotta run out for a little while, can you hold down the fort?" He asked quickly. Isabelle looked at him strangely.

"Jace, you have not missed a weekend at the bar since we opened. Not even when you had pneumonia." Her voice was confused. Jace ran his hand over his face and then looked up at his sister, his eyes pleading with her. His phone buzzed again and her name popped up on the screen. Izzy let out a screech much like what he assumed a pterodactyl would sound like in heat. "Go, go, go." She said before grabbing Jace by the shoulders and shoving him towards the door. Jace gave her a droll look before grabbing his keys off the bar and walking out towards his car.


	3. Chapter 3

Guys. This story was NOT supposed to happen. It was SUPPOSED to be a one shot. But ... you guys like reading it...and I like writing it... so... cliche fanfic it is! Enjoy. I have written at least another 3 chapters worth just today. I'm posting a little at a time...mainly bc I like hearing you guys comments. So... comment!

It only took 9 minutes to reach the address Clary had sent him. He sat outside with his car in park for a few minutes as he looked at the apartment building in front of him. He wasn't sure if she had wanted him to come up or not, so he sat in his car, his knee bouncing with nerves. A few moments later Clary came bounding out the door, a guy following her out. They were clearly fighting and Jace struggled to control the rage bubbling under the surface as the guy grabbed Clary's arm, pulling her back towards him. Jace rolled down his tinted window. He told himself it was so Clary could see that it was him, but in reality he couldn't help but need to know what was being said.

"Stop it." The male voice said, the voice was cold.

"Just let me go Jordan. You clearly want to be with her, so go be with her." Clary sounded tired, like she had been repeating the same sentence over and over for hours.

"I don't have to let you go. You are mine." Jordan said, his voice angry. Jace unbuckled his seatbelt, ready to jump into action at a moments notice. He knew this wasn't his fight, and in reality it wasn't his business, but he surely wouldn't let it escalate any further.

"Jordan, face it, you don't love me. I don't think you ever did." Clary sounded distant, "what we had, it was nice, but do you really want that for the rest of your life?" She was trying to reason with him. Jace could see Jordan tighten his hold on her arm and he forced himself to sit still. The need to end this coursed through his body, the need to get Clary away from the asshole who was holding her much too tight.

"It's not my fault she is better than you Clary. Really, if you weren't so...soft, so quiet, so pathetic. I could have loved you. Maia, she's fire and you... you're barely a spark." His voice cut through the air and Jace saw red. He opened his car door and stood, looking over the hood of his car. Jace came from old money, and while he didn't generally flaunt it, he was glad he had brought the Ferrari to this particular outing.

"Clary, you ready to go?" He asked, trying to sound bored. "We have places to be." Jordan's eyes shot up to where Jace was walking around the car. Jace could feel Jordan's eyes on his back, roaming over him and the car. He opened the passenger side door and then leaned against the side of the car. "I'll grab your bag." He said with a shrug. He stepped towards the two of them, noting that Jordan's hold on Clary seemed to let up slightly. He could feel the tension rolling off of both of them.

"Who the fuck is this?" Jordan asked, his voice incredulous. Clary looked at Jace and a smirk graced her mouth.

"Jordan, this is Jace." She said, her voice sly. Jace smiled back at her before a cocky smirk formed on his own face.

"Jordan, ahhh I've heard about you." Jace said taking a step closer to Clary. His hand was on Jordan's in a moment, removing it from Clary without pause. "You ready babe?" He asked his eyes dancing with mischief. Clary nodded mutely. Pulling her suitcase towards her. She stepped towards Jace and suddenly she was falling. Jace looked over to see Jordan grab the top of her backpack and rip her backwards. The weight of her bag seemed to throw her off balance. Jace darted forward, but not fast enough to keep Clary's head from bouncing off the pavement. He turned, any amusement suddenly gone. Jace could generally hide this part of himself. He could lock away the anger and violence the way he had trained himself to. Without a second thought he had Jordan by the front of his shirt, lifting him off the ground. Jace was easily a fully head and shoulders above the other man.

"If you ever so much as blink in her direction, ever again, I will hurt you in ways you didn't know your body could hurt. Not only will I break your body, but I will have you in jail before you can so much as apologize. Do not, do not, test me." Jace's voice was cold, angry, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind, that he was very serious. Jace released Jordan, throwing him backwards, before kneeling down beside Clary. Her eyes were closed, clenched in obvious pain. Jordan stepped towards them and Jace wanted to laugh. Did this pathetic excuse for a man really thing that just because Jace was on his knees he would have a chance? Jace reached out, without ever taking his eyes off of the red head. He shoved his fist forward and then pulled back quickly, throwing Jordan off balance and sending him tumbling to the ground.

"Alright pretty girl, hospital for you." He whispered to Clary, before picking her up bridal style and heading towards his car. He turned back towards Jordan. "Give me your shirt." He said, his tone serious and deadly. Jordan shook his head taking a step back. "I'm not kidding fucker, I don't want blood on my two hundred thousand dollar car. Give. Me. Your. Shirt." He punctuated each word. Jordan stood still for a moment before pulling the shirt off of his body and throwing it towards them. Jace picked it up and balled it up behind Clary's head before laying her down in the car. He turned and gave one last look at Jordan before getting in to the drivers seat and taking off. Clary sighed from beside him, rolling her neck.

"Jace, the hospital isn't really necessary, I'm fine." She whispered with a grimace. Jace continued to drive in the direction of the emergency room. "Really Jace, I just hit my head, it's okay." She said a little louder this time. Jace could feel the anger begin to give way to concern. Her voice was shaky at best.

"Clary, you are bleeding. Like...bleeding pretty heavily. All over my car. You are not fine." He said gritting his teeth. Clary's eyes went wide as she put her hand to her hair and then brought it back, sticky and wet with blood. She sighed and closed her eyes. Jace couldn't help but look back over at her, her heart shaped lips were in a flat line against her pale face. She crossed her arms around herself, like she was hugging herself. Jace turned in to the hospital parking lot and parked quickly, barely taking the key out of the ignition before jumping from his seat and heading over to Clary's side of the car. She put her hand up to open the door but missed the handle completely. 'Fine my ass' Jace's thoughts bellowed out as he opened the door and reached down to help her from the car. He knew if he tried to carry her she would put up a fight. She stood for a moment, taking a ginger step away from the car before falling forward. This time Jace was close enough to catch her. He swept her up and pulled her small body to his chest, shaking his head. He turned and started towards the doors of the hospital. Once inside he was glad that there didn't seem to be many people waiting. He walked up to the window hesitantly. He didn't know anything about Clary, not her last name, did she have insurance? The window opened and the nurse gave a dark sigh.

"Oh, Clarissa Fray. Back so soon." Her face was dark, concern was easily read. Jace's eyes widened in sudden clarity, as the nurse scampered around the desk and towards the door. "Bring her in here dear." She said, unlike Jace, unable to hold the biting anger off her tone. Jace nodded before walking through the door. He could feel the sticky blood clinging to his arm where Clary was laying, though the flow seemed to have slowed significantly. The nurse called out a number over the loud speaker and two more nurses were bringing a wheelchair down the hall. "You can set her down now." She said pointing to the chair. Jace raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out exactly how they planned to keep her in the chair. Jace shook his head,

"I'll just hold on to her until you find a bed." He said shortly, looking between the nurses. They shared a look and then nodded, leading his down the hall towards a room. Jace shook his head as he saw the second bed, "I think a private room would be better for this." He said, his voice stern.

"Her insurance is already wearing thin Mr..." she said looking over at Jace.

"Herondale, and don't worry about it. Just get us a separate room." The nurse sized him up for a moment before shrugging and taking them across the hall to a private room. It was smaller than the shared room, but at least he didn't have to worry about people coming in and out all night. Jace set Clary gently on the bed before turning to walk to the sink. He could hear a strange gargling sound and turned back around in time to see Clary start to shake. This wasn't a shake he had seen before, and confusion laced his face. Within seconds he was at the side of her bed as the convulsions took over her body. He didn't even register that he had screamed for help until two nurses raced into the room. They took one look at the girl and rolled her up on her side, one turning and grabbing something out of the bedside table. Blood gushed from the red-head's mouth and the nurse cursed out loud, shoving Jace roughly out of the way.

"Alright Mr. Herondale, we need you to step out for a moment until this ends." The second nurse said, her voice calm with an edge Jace couldn't place. Jace shook his head, moving to the corner of the room. He knew he should stay out of the way but he couldn't leave. It seemed like hours before the convulsions stopped, though Jace was sure it was less than 5 minutes in reality. His body sagged against the wall as the nurses went to work, calling in a doctor. The doctor didn't waste any time before pulling open Clary's eyes and looking into them with a bright light.

"A concussion, though I guess that is pretty obvious. But since this is most surely not her first, we are gunna need an MRI, maybe a CT as well." He said, his voice was completely calm, as if he say this thing all the time.

"Dr. Her insurance will only cover one or the other after last time." The nurse said shaking her head in distaste.

"Well, I guess we will settle for the MRI then." He said, his tone biting.

"Don't worry about her insurance, I've got this." Jace heard himself say before his brain even registered the words. The doctor rolled his eyes,

"Son, that CT scan is at least 4 grand, and it's just an extra precaution." Jace could feel his anger coming back up,

"Would you like to go see the Ferrari I drove here, covered in this girl's blood. Just do the damn tests." His voice was cold. The doctor rolled his eyes again and nodded, before turning back to the girl. Jace's body sang in relief as green eyes found his own golden ones. "Clary." He said quietly, stepping towards her. Her eyes widened for a moment as she took in her surroundings.

"Shit, Jace. I'm so sorry." She said as she started trying to pull herself into a sitting position. He shook his head as the nurses cleared the room.

"Scared the shit out of me Clarissa." He said, his voice soft and full of obvious concern. Clary blushed deeply and it relieved Jace to see some color return to her face. "Stop apologizing, YOU didn't do anything wrong, at all." The emphasis he put on the word 'you' seemed to trigger something in Clary. A single tear rolled down her cheek and she nodded, as a look of pure pain spread over her features.

"He did this didn't he?" She asked quietly. Jace nodded stiffly.

"And I assume, from the nurses reaction, that this wasn't the first time." Jace added. Clary's eyes widened for a movement, and Jace watched as she put on a fake calm facade. She shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"Oh, you know. Sometimes passion leads to mistakes." She said, her voice flat and devoid of emotion. Rage welled up in Jace's chest and he was silent for a minute as he tried to calm the sea of emotions waging war on him.

"Clary." He said, pain clearly evident in the way he breathed her name. This tension in the room was thick as he stared towards the door.

"You can leave now Jace. I'm sure you have better things to do on a Saturday night than sit in the emergency room. It's just a concussion, maybe I'll need a couple of stitches. No big deal." Her voice held a false sense of calm, but Jace had no trouble seeing right through it. He walked closer to the bed and pushed the hair away from Clary's face.

"This isn't just a concussion. This is the latest of many concussions. Clary you just had a god damn seizure." His voice was hard. He wanted so badly to sound soft and caring, but the anger that was lapping over him like waves almost couldn't be tamed.

"A... seizure?" Clary asked, her voice unsteady. Jace nodded once running his hands through his hair again. "Oh god." She whispered. Jace was sure he wasn't even supposed to have heard it. He sat down in the chair beside the bed and looked up at her as she buried her face in her hands and started to weep. This was a different crying than what Jace had seen before from the girl, but a kind of deep sadness he had seen before. From this mother. Without even realizing it, he reached towards Clary. He pulled his hand back quickly trying to control the need to comfort her. Jace's phone buzzed and he looked down surprised. He hadn't noticed it going off, and yet there were about a dozen messages. Most were from his sister, a few from his older brother. He checked in with his sister, seeing her messages about the club being at capacity. It happened often on weekends. People would line up outside in hopes that others would leave. He sent Isabelle a short message, letting her know that he was with Clary, at the hospital, and giving her a very, very, very short rundown of what had happened. His phone buzzed back immediately that she would come by after the club closed to trade him cars. He wasn't sure how long he would be at the hospital and didn't want to risk leaving his good car outside the emergency room. He looked down at his phone as it started to ring. He groaned as he saw the name on the screen.

"Hello Kaelie." He answered, getting up from the chair and walking to the other side of the room, not wanting to subject Clary to the voice of the girl on the other end of the phone.

"Jaccccceeee" she whined. He shuddered at the way she said his name. "Jace, they won't let me in." She was pouting. He could almost see her bottom lip jutting forward and her eyes looking up at him, trying to play the innocent card that she really had no right to use.

"Kaelie, they are at capacity. They can't let you in." He responded, his voice dry.

"But Jace, YOU could let me in." He was sure she was attempting to sound seductive, but in reality she just sounded like a child trying to manipulate a situation.

"I'm not there Kaelie, and even if I was, I wouldn't be able to let you in." He answered.

"But Jace, you never leave the bar on a Saturday night. Where else could you even be?" She asked her voice raising in pitch.

"On a date." He said rolling his eyes, he looked over at the hospital bed where Clary was being poked and prodded by a nurse. She looked up at him and glowered and he almost laughed.

"On a WHAT?" The blonde on the other end exclaimed. He choked out a laugh and then proceeded.

"Yeah, so, stand in line, I'm sure people will clear out after the band leaves in a couple of hours and then you can get it. Have a nice night Kaelie." He said before quickly ending the call before she could respond. He looked over at Clary again, an amused look on her face.

"This is by far the worst date I've ever been on Jace." She said, as the nurse stuck her arm to draw blood. Jace laughed again, but this time in earnest.

"So let me take you on a real date." He said with a shrug. Clary rolled her eyes and winced. "Do you need something for pain babe?" He asked as he looked over at the nurse. They both looked up at Clary and she looked down, her cheeks flush.

"Nah, it's okay." She said pulling at the strings on her sweater. Jace rolled his eyes and the nurse looked between the two of them before responding.

"I don't know about you Mr. Herondale, but I think some pain medication seems pretty necessary before we start stapling up the back of your lady's head, I'll go ahead and page the doctor." She added before wandering out into the hall. Clary's shoulders sagged in defeat. Jace walked closer to the bed and Clary patted the spot beside her. He sat gingerly on the bed beside her, worried he would hurt her.

"Oh man. You have blood all over you." She said making a gagging noise.

"Yes Clary. That would be your blood." He responded, "We are lucky that that was the only blood spilled tonight." He added looking back at her. The nurse wandered in with a tiny cup of pills and some water.

"Alright Clarissa, take these. The doctor will be in with his industrial staple gun in about a half hour, so these should have time to kick in." She handed the pills over and then walked back out the door. Jace started to move away from the bed but Clary gripped on to him. He looked down at her, confused.

"Don't... please don't leave." She said quietly. Jace nodded and sat back down beside her as she took the pills. "And please don't judge whatever loopy nonsense I spout after these kick in. I'm not known for my high tolerance for... well for really anything." She said with a short laugh. Jace smiled at her and shook his head. Clary leaned her head against his shoulder and he shuddered at her hot breath through the plain black tee shirt he wore. They sat like that for what felt like only moments, before the doctor came in.

"Alright Clarissa, it's time to fix up that gash on your head." He said, walking over to the bed. She nodded against Jace's shoulder. Jace turned to face her and pulled her forehead to his chest. The doctor went to work quickly, numbing the area and then stapling together the 3 inch gash on the back of her skull. She whimpered against Jace, squeezing his arm with ever staple. "Well, 9 staples seems to be the magic number this time." He said, as he put down his equipment and took off his gloves. Clary nodded against Jace's chest, that was now damn from her tears. "Clarissa, I can't have you in here with another head injury. Too much more of this and you're gunna have permanent damage. Just that seizure you had earlier tells us that you are not healing enough between... visits."

"I... I don't think I'll be in for a while doc. We... we broke up." Clary said, looking up at the doctor. Jace could see the doctor breathe a sigh of relief behind Clary's back.

"Alright... well.. keep it that way." He said before walking out the door. Jace suddenly had a thought,

"Hey Clary, I'm gunna go grab a coffee. I'll be right back." He said before bolting out the door.

"Doctor." He called down the hall. The doctor turned to him and nodded. "Doctor... if, if it came up in court. Would you ... would you testify as to what you had seen?" Jace asked. He didn't know this man at all, but he could tell that he had seen Clary in this emergency room for similar reasons, frequently. The doctor looked Jace up and down for a moment,

"I already have a fucking file. I'll give you the whole damn thing if you'll put that bastard behind bars." The doctor said, before turning and walking away. Jace nodded before going back to Clary's room with the excuse of not being able to get coffee at almost 2am. Jace sat down on the bed again as Clary leaned back and closed her eyes to rest. He was glad she was more comfortable now. The nurse came in to tell them she would be able to leave in the next hour or so. A knock on the door surprised them both as they looked to see Isabelle standing in the doorway. Clary groaned, Jace was sure from the realization that people knew what had happened.

"I'm not staying, Simon would kill me, but I figured you both could use some clothes that didn't look like they were straight out of a horror movie." She threw a bag at Jace and looked at him, her eyes flashing for a moment with pity before looking over at Clary. "What's the damage?" She asked, her voice neutral.

"9 staples this time. But I should be able to leave soon!" Clary exclaimed, trying to sound peppy.

"This time?" Izzy asked, raising her eyebrow. Clary shrugged and looked down at the hands on the bed. "Well anyways, I was pretty drunk last time I saw you, but I think the dress in that bag should fit you. It's a shirt on me, but..." she trailed off and Clary glared at her. Crossing her arms. "It's not my fault my legs are as long as all of you Clary." She said waiving her hand. "Now I'm going home to go to sleep. Jace, tell Kaelie that next time she throws up before she even gets all the way inside the door, she isn't going to be welcomed back." She added before turning and walking out the door. Clary laughed at Jace's pained expression.


	4. Chapter 4

_Ok... I think this chapter is too long...and I got a bit out of hand with it... but here it is. I hope you all enjoy it. I'm really enjoying the reviews you guys leave. With my real life being a walking disaster it's nice to have people enjoy something I do. More to come in the next few days...because... I can't stop_

 _Rose_

"So who is this Kaelie? Her voice sounded like nails on a chalk board THROUGH the phone, I can't imagine how that voice sounds in real life."

"She's ... an ex, you might say." He said, it was hard to explain to anyone else what Kaelie was to him. Clary nodded, this time without a wince.

"She can't be as bad as my ex?" She said, her voice light and teasing. Jace tensed at the mention of Jordan.

"Stay with me tonight?" He asked. The words left his mouth in a rush and he quickly looked away. He could feel Clary shift beside him. Pulling him to look at her. She reached up and pressed her lips to his, for only a fraction of a second.

"Thank you Jace, I'd like that." She said before settling back into the bed. The nurse came in an within 30 minutes they were in the car Isabelle had left for them. Jace drove carefully. He was never a dangerous driver, but having Clary in the car, already injured, made him drive much more slowly than usual. Before he even realized it, they pulled up at his house. He blinked quickly as he realized that he wasn't at the bar. He had driven Clary to his real home, His weekday home. He never brought girls here. It was ostentatious and private. "Are you bringing me out here to murder me?" Clary asked from the passenger seat. Jace looked at her and wanted to retort but instead yawned.

"Too tired for murder tonight Clarissa, it's time to sleep. I'll murder you tomorrow." He said yawning again. Clary laughed as Jace exited the car, coming over to her door and opening it for her quickly. He grabbed her backpack and suitcase from the backseat and helped her to her feet, trying to ignore what she was wearing. Isabelle had given her a short sweater dress. They didn't match her converse, or even her personality, at all, but damn did it do things for her legs. Jace tried to shake the thought of Clary's legs from his head as he unlocked his door. Those thoughts were not for a night like tonight. He turned on the light and Clary gasped. The house was not huge, but it was sleek and modern. Everything was white, clean, with crisp edges. He grabbed her hand, leading her towards the bedroom. He opened the bedroom door and blinked back the thought that Clary would very shortly be in his bed. He rummaged through his drawers for a moment before grabbing a T-shirt and a pair of boxers for her to wear to sleep. He handed them to her and pointed to the bathroom. She wandered out a few moments later wearing the shirt but not the pants. "They just fall off." She said handing them back to him. There she stood in front of him, wearing nothing but one of his shirts. Her legs were not long and didn't have stiletto heels at the end, like most girls he brought back to his above-the-bar apartment, and yet he couldn't help but want to reach out and grab the beautiful girl in front of him. He led her over to the bed and she sat down, looking up at him, and yawned.

"Alright pretty girl, get some sleep. We can figure out the rest tomorrow." He said, turning around and heading towards the door.

"Wait... Jace... where are you going?" Her voice asked from behind him. He turned around,

"The couch?" He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Jace, seriously, we are adults. I am in your home, you can sleep in your bed. If you're too uncomfortable to sleep next to me than I will take the couch, you've done enough already." Her voice sounded confident, but one look into her eyes told him that she was scared as hell. The arguments that started in his head against the idea lasted only a few moments. He shrugged, trying to seem like it wasn't a big deal. Motioning for her to scoot over. The king sized bed was plenty big enough for the two of them to not even touch. This wasn't a big deal. He laid down and shut off the lamp beside the bed, plunging them into darkness. Jace felt like there was static in the air, electricity racing between them. He stared into the darkness, focusing solely on keeping his breathing steady and even. A few minutes later he could feel the slight shaking of the bed. She was crying again. He closed his eyes, trying to still the urge to pull her to him and comfort her. After a few minutes the crying continued and his resolve wavered and them completely fell away as the quiet sniffles turned to full sobs. He rolled on to his side and reached across the space, Clary stilled for a moment before he reached her, pulling her into his chest. That was all it took for her to completely fall apart against him. The sobs wracked her entire body and he was surprised at the strength of them. She was so small and yet her body shook so hard he could almost not contain her. After what felt like an eternity of holding her, the sobs seemed to calm. He breathed a sigh of relief as the crying seemed to ebb away.

"I don't usually cry this much." She mumbled against his chest. Jace laughed,

"Clary, you've had a hell of a 36 hours, you're allowed to cry" he responded, his voice honest. She nodded against him and he pulled her tighter to himself, afraid she would fall apart again. To his surprise she started to laugh, a full laugh. "What...are you laughing?" He asked his voice incredulous.

"I was just thinking this is probably not the most exciting experience you've had with a girl in this bed." She said her voice full of amusement.

"This would be the only experiance I've had with a girl in this bed." He responded coolly. Clary snorted, obviously disbelief in her head. "I don't bring girls here. This is my home, my sanctuary." He said with a small shrug.

"Then why am I here?" She asked quietly. Jace struggled for a moment, trying to answer that question, as much for himself as for her.

"Because I needed to know you were safe." He said simply. "Now sleep Clarissa. Please." He asked hoping she would hear the pleading in his voice. She nodded against him and rolled over, facing away from him, and started to scoot away. He shook his head. And pulled her back to him, her back flush against his chest. "Please." He said again, for a moment fearing that he sounded desperate. She sighed and relaxed into him.

He awoke the next morning alone in the bed. He sat up quickly as he looked around the room. Clary's backpack and suitcase were both gone. Panic rose in his throat for a moment before he heard the click of his bathroom door. Clary came out, her hair in a towel, dressed in dark jeans and a simple black tank top.

"I hope you don't mind, I borrowed your shower, my hair was...crusty" she said with a shudder. Jace laughed and shook his head. He looked at Clary and was surprised how light the mood was. He tried to push the thoughts of Clary being in his shower out of his head, and was only slightly successful. He was suddenly very grateful to still be sitting under his thick comforter. His body reacted to her in ways he'd never reacted to anyone before.

"It's fine Clary." He said with a tight smile, before raking his hand through his hair. Clary turned her back to him and bent over to get something out of her backpack and he struggled to contain the groanthat manifested. These thoughts would get him in trouble. Clary wasn't ready... for...he shook his head. He couldn't think about her like that. It was unfair and kind of inappropriate to be honest. He waited for a moment, completely clearing his head before getting out of bed. Clary was pulling a brush through her hair as he started going through his drawers for something to wear. He pulled off his shirt, and heard a whoosh of air from behind him. He turned to see Clary appraising him. Her eyes slid over his body for a moment longer than necessary before she turned stiffly around. He bit back a laugh as he pulled a T-shirt over his head, and a new pair of jeans.

"Breakfast?" He asked before heading out of the room, leaving Clary to stare at the wall by herself. He could feel the pride well up in himself at the effect he seemed to have on her. It was a relief that he wasn't alone in his attraction. She followed him out of the room a few minutes later, mumbling under her breath something that sounded oddly like 'perfect'. Jace laughed out loud this time as he began to pull the ingredients out to make pancakes. He made breakfast and they ate in near silence. Until he heard a car in his driveway. A few minutes later Isabelle was letting herself in the front door.

"Honey I'm home!" She called as she approached the kitchen. She stopped mid step as she took in Clary, who was sitting on a barstool at the kitchen island while Jace cooked. She raised one eyebrow and a pointed glance with her brother before taking the stool next to the red head. Jace added more pancakes to the platter and handed his sister a plate. "Well, I came here to gossip, but since the topic of our discussion is still present, that will have to wait." She said as she took a sip of orange juice. Clary coughed and almost choked on her food and Jace stared his sister down, daring her to say more. Clary looked over at Isabelle and the conversation shifted quickly to the fact that Clary only had 3 sets of clothing for the foreseeable future. Going back to Jordan's wasn't prudent and those present knew that Jace simply wouldn't allow her to go back without him, and with him there would probably be police and murder charges involved. Isabelle was suddenly rambling about shopping and Clary smiled and agreed. Not that she knew what she was getting herself into. Jace stood to start clearly the plates and Clary stopped him,

"You cooked, I'll wash dishes." She said simply before grabbing all the dishes and turning towards the sink. Behind her back the siblings shared another look. Isabelle continued to ramble about the shopping trip that she was planning for the girls, and Jace was content to listen to the easy banter between the girls. Their words went above his head as he sat lost in thought. At the mention of Victoria's secret he tried to tune back in, but the conversation seemed to have already shifted again and he went back to his own thoughts. He would have to talk to Clary about her living situation. While he liked having her around, maybe more than he should, he wasn't sure how long she would be comfortable being a guest in his one bedroom home.

"Do you mind if Simon joins us for lunch?" Isabelle asked and Clary shrugged her shoulders. "I've been neglecting him the last few days." She added and Clary nodded.

"Sure, that's fine!" She said, Jace was sure with false enthusiasm. Isabelle nodded before turning to Jace.

"Hey, you wanna join us for lunch? We will be by the mall, so we will probably take a break around twelve or one for Taki's" Jace looked over his sister for a moment before rolling his eyes,

"Sure Iz. Sounds like fun." It wasn't that Jace didn't like Simon. Simon was the most stand up guy he had ever met. He had been dating Isabelle for almost 4 years and it almost made Jace sick how much the guy truly worshiped his sister. Jace stood and started gathering his things to leave. He needed to head to his mother's office, he wanted to get at least a head start on a case against Jordan. He knew it wasn't his business but he couldn't help but feel like it was going to get messy. "Isabelle." He called to his sister from the other room. She sauntered into the hallway by the door and looked at him, he pulled his credit card out of his wallet and handed it to her. "Have fun with my trust fund." He said with a shrug, "And ... keep her in your sights. I don't think that guy is gunna do anything stupid, but I wouldn't put it past him." Isabelle grinned wickedly at the black card in her hand, and nodded.

"Clary. Let's goooooo." She whined as she retreated back to the kitchen where Clary was finishing her cleaning. Jace stepped out the door into the cool March air. It wasn't cold enough for a jacket, but Jace was sure it was too cold for the tank top Clary was wearing. He shook his head at how ridiculous he was being over this girl. He got into his car and started it before looking back at his door where the girls were exiting. Isabelle in her skin tight skinny jeans and a jean jacket, a smile playing at her lips. She turned around and winked at Jace as Clary followed her out the door, Her jeans were much less revealing and her converse the exact opposite of his sisters high heeled point toed shoes. Jace's eyes trailed up Clary's body and his heart stuttered as he realized she was wearing his college letterman jacket. He shook his head at his own reaction, for what felt like the millionth time in the last few days. Clary turned to get into his sister's car and he couldn't help the fire that started in his chest as he saw his last name across her back. The feelings were cut short as he saw the glimmer of the diamond on her left hand. He had to cut out this nonsense. She still was struggling through feelings for someone else, she was only wearing his coat because it was too cold to go without. He started his car and drove on autopilot to his mother's office. He left his keys with the valet outside the high rise building and made his way to the elevator. Moments later he was inside the plush office of Maryse Lightwood. While he wasn't her biological son, she never treated him differently than her own children.

"Jace, what are you doing here?" Seelie, his mother's secretary asked.

"Is mom available?" He asked looking around the office. The office was all browns and comfort, so different from when he was younger and she shared the office with Robert. Seelie flipped through the little calendar on her desk before pressing a button to page Maryse and let her know her son was present. A few minutes later and Jace was in his mother's arms as she pulled him to her chest. When she was married, she had hardly shown any affection to the children, Robert had always been cold and she seemed to follow his traits. Once the divorce was finalized though, everything had changed. She called them for more than necessary information. She hugged them, and she went from demanding each of her children become lawyers like their parents, instead supporting them in their own ventures. Isabelle had always dreamed of modeling, but Robert had made it clear to her that that was practically prostitution in his eyes. His brother had dreamed of a career in photography, and his father had called that weak. Jace had never really had an ambition and was the only one of the kids who planned to become a lawyer. That all changed when his trust fund became available and the club down the street put a for sale sign on it's door. He had bought the club the next week, much to the anger of his adoptive father. Jace smiled down at his mother.

"Jace, sweetie, why are you here on a Monday morning?" She asked, holding him out at arms length. "Is everything okay?" She asked motioning to the dark circles under his eyes. He laughed shortly before motioning towards her office.

"I actually need your legal expertise." He started and her eyes widened a fraction, "Not for me mom, for a...friend." He said carefully. She squinted at him for a moment before nodding with a smile.

"A girl." She said, her voice more of a smile than her face. She slipped on her glasses and pulled out a legal notepad before looking up at her sone expectantly. Jace wiggled around in his chair for a moment before sighing and launching into the story. The full story. He told her about the night they met, about the creep in the bar, about taking Clary upstairs and putting her into his bed before retreating to the couch. He told her about their conversation the next day, and about the interaction with Jordan. He struggled through telling her about the seizure and the doctor. He pulled out the file on Clary and slid it across the desk. The doctor had handed it to him as he finished his shift the night Clary had spent in the hospital. Jace hadn't opened it though, afraid of his reactions. His mother nodded along, gasping at the appropriate moments, and he eyes flashed with the mama bear rage that she was so good at hiding. She opened up the file and her face fell at the picture sitting on the top. Clary's red hair was a mess, sticking in all directions, her shirt torn at one sleeve; but the part that brought forward such horror, were the bruises that littered her throat. Her eye was puffed closed, green and yellow bruising visible. That meant that those had been older when this picture was taken. The ones on her pale neck though, they were dark purple, almost black. They were obviously from someone choking her. His hand clenched and released at his side over and over as he fought the cave-man part of his brain. That part of himself told him to drive back over to Jordan's house and to destroy him completely.

"Jace, I think I'll look this over once you leave." His mother said quietly, pulling him out of his angry thoughts. He shook his head reaching for the file, he needed to see the rest. Maryse pulled it out of his hands and pulled it to her chest. "Jace, let her tell you about these herself, you shouldn't see this." She said softly, Jace was stiff in his chair. Moments later he was standing, his fist through the drywall of his mother's office. The pain in his hand bringing him back to reality. "Jonathan Christopher." His mother shook her head and stood walking towards him. "Jace, there is concrete behind this drywall you moronic boy." She said taking his hand into hers. His knuckles were split, bleeding.

"Seelie, can you bring in a dish towel please, and maybe a bag of ice." She stopped and took a deep breath, "Any a hammer and a nail, I guess I'll be moving the picture from the lobby into my office." She added. Jace looked down at his hand ashamed. She put her hand on his shoulder and led him over to sit in the chair. "I'll start getting a case together Jace, we can't press charges without her permission, however I will have everything read. All she will need to do is sign on the dotted line and we will make sure he is punished to the greatest extent of the law." Her voice was sure and steady now, her lawyer voice on. "I'm not the best at these cases, however Robert may be able to actually present this one. He is far better versed in assault law than I am, you know me Jace, I usually deal with divorce." Jace shuddered at the thought of speaking to his father, but he was sure he would suffer thought it for Clarissa. His phone rang and he looked down to see Isabelle calling. It was almost lunch time. After a few more words with his mother he ducked out of her office and headed to the restaurant. He pulled in to the little diner at the same time he saw Simon getting out of his car. The men acknowledged each other before Jace parked and caught up to Simon in the parking lot. They walked in and saw the girls at a table towards the back. Moments later Clary was flying towards them, confusion on Jace and Isabelle's face as she launched herself at Simon.

"Simon!" She exclaimed before throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. Simon picked up the small red head and spun them around laughing.

"Clare-bear! Is that you?" He asked his voice full of surprise and laughter. Isabelle stood, speechless by the table, her face tinged pink with anger, and jealously. Jace tried to control his face as Clary kissed both of Simon's cheeks and buried her face in his chest laughing.

"Um..." Isabelle started before motioning to the two of them, "I take it you guys know each other." She said, her voice cold and detached. Simon laughed,

"Isabelle, I've told you ALL about Clary. This is my little red-headed step child best friend." Isabelle softened slightly as the word friend came out of her boyfriend's mouth. "Clary and I went to high school together, well...and middle school...and elementary school. We even went to the same college!" He explained, he looked up and saw his girlfriend's face and blinked slowly before setting Clary down. He walked over to Isabelle placing a chaste kiss on her lips. "Friends Iz." He whispered as he pulled her into his arms. Jace stood to the side, watching everyone, feeling incredibly out of place. "Clary stopped talking to me right after college." Simon added, his voice hardening around the edges. Clary looked down, her face pink.

"Jordan did... didn't like me having a guy friend who was so close to me." She said quietly. She shrugged before making her way to the booth and shoving herself into the corner.

"Where is that jackass anyways?" Simon asked, looking around. Clary shook her head and Isabelle whispered something about explaining later to Simon. He nodded and sat in the booth across from Clary. Isabelle sat directly beside him leaving Jace no choice but to sit beside Clary. The waitress came over then and took their drink orders, leaving them to look at the menu. Clary looked over everything carefully and Jace couldn't help but look at the rock still sitting on her left hand. "Wait...is that a ring?" Simon asked and Jace looked over at Clary to see her face fall.

"Oh .. yeah.. I guess I can take this off now..." she said fidgeting with the ring. "It's not like he'd take me back now anyways..." she trailed off. Red hot rage filled Jace as he looked at her incredulously.

"Clary..." he started trying to calm the anger bubbling up beneath the surface of his calm demeanor. She shook her head and slipped off the ring, placing it in the pocket of Jace's jacket that she still wore. The waitress came over and took their order, and Jace frowned as Clary ordered a side salad and nothing more. He had noticed she only ate one pancake that morning, and with how tiny she was he was sure she needed to be eating more.

"A salad Clare?" Simon asked, his tone teasing, Jace was probably the only one who noticed the undercurrent of worrying. "What happened to the double cheeseburger and milkshake Clary?" He asked looking at the fragile looking girl across from him.

"Don't wanna get fat." She said with a small shrug before taking a sip of her water. Simon looked at her with disbelief and then excused himself from the table a moment later. They all looked over at him as he stalked out of the restaurant. Isabelle made a move to go after him and Jace stopped her by standing.

"I need a cigarette anyways." He said with a nod towards the door. He only smoked one every few days generally, and almost always as an excuse to escape. Isabelle nodded stiffly before looking across at Clary. Jace almost felt bad leaving the girls alone, since his sister looked more than a little offended at how well Clary knew her boyfriend.

"You okay man?" Jace asked as he lit the cigarette in his mouth and offered one to Simon. Simon shook his head,

"He hurt her didn't he?" He said more than asked. Jace nodded stiffly beside him. "She didn't used to be this quiet, this meek. She was so full of fire, and then she met him. The salads started then, I heard him say that he didn't want her metabolism to catch up to her. I thought he was joking. I saw a few bruises...but she always told me," He shuddered, "That they were from...consensual... things." He shook his head. "He ruined her." He added quietly. Jace shook his head,

"She just needs time Si, just needs people who care about her." Jace took a long drag of smoke, "We can't run away." He said, his voice firm.

"I have a spare bedroom at my place." Simon said quietly. And Jace nodded, he was sure that would be better for Clary than staying at his place. She would probably be more comfortable with Simon. "I have to talk to your sister though, I love Clary, she is my best friend, but I can't risk what I have with Isabelle for her." He said, his voice serious. Jace looked over at him surprised. Simon flicked his hand into his pocked and looked around before producing a ring box. Jace coughed for a moment, before looking back at the man beside him. "I already got Alec's blessing, and your mother. But I know I need yours too." He said before opening the box. Inside was a ring that Jace knew Isabelle would fawn over for a century. Unlike the Lightwoods, Simon wasn't from money. He worked hard at his IT job day in and day out to pay his bills. Jace knew he must have saved for months to afford the princess cut ring nestled into the box. Jace closed the box and put his hand on Simon's shoulder.

"Of course. The threat still stands, if you hurt her, I'll murder you. But, yeah, you should marry her." Jace said with a nod. Simon sighed in obvious relief and shoved the ring into his pocked. "We should get inside before they kill each other." Jace said and stamped out his cigarette. Simon nodded and they walked back inside. Clary and Isabelle were laughing, not the kind of soft cute laughter he expected from the girls, but a strong full bodied laugh. Isabelle was clutching her side and Clary was holding her head.

"Do I even want to know?" Simon asked, sitting down and putting his arm around his girlfriend.

"She was telling me about your first kiss." Isabelle said between peels of laughter. Simon looked over at Clary and looked purely offended.

"It wasn't that bad Fray." He said pulling his arm back and crossing his arms over his chest.

"I had saliva on my forehead Simon." Clary said, her laughter starting to slow. Jace looked around the table and realized a moment later that their first kiss had been together. He was surprised to see how relaxed Isabelle was with the fact that her boyfriend's ex was sitting across the table. Clary must have sensed Jace's discomfort, she put a small hand on his knee.

"We kissed once Jace. We were 13. We both decided after that we should only ever kiss other people, ever again." Her voice was still full of laughter and Jace softened up. Their food was delivered and Jace watched as Simon watched Clary eat exactly two bites of lettuce with no dressing before pushing the plate away. His eyes were full of so much concern that it almost drowned Jace.

"Clary... you need to eat." Simon said with finality. Clary looked up from the spot on the table she was inspecting with surprise in her eyes.

"I'm not hungry." She said quietly. Simon's hand was over hers on the table a moment later and she sighed, "I guess, since I don't have anyone to worry about staying thin for... I could probably eat... not like anyone would want me either way." She said, more to herself than anyone around her. Simon's face went slack, Isabelle's eyes widened and Jace forced himself to look at his own food to keep his expression neutral. Clary reached across the table and grabbed one of Simon's fries and shoved it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "I forgot how good real people food tasted." She said before putting her face down on the table and laughing. Simon smiled slightly, worry etched so far into his features that Jace started to worry about the wedding pictures. Isabelle pushed her plate towards Clary.

"You can have my fries, I ate about seven too many pancakes this morning." She said sending Jace a pointed glance. Jace shrugged,

"Not my fault I make the best pancakes ever." He added before going back to eating his own burger, trying to not notice as Clary slowly ate her way through Isabelle's fries. The conversation turned to their shopping trip and Clary shuddered as she recalled the number of stores they had already visited. She made a comment about Isabelle spending way too much money before shaking her head and smiling. Isabelle winked over at Jace and nodded to the large pile of bags that took up almost a whole second table of the restaurant.

"You can take these home." She said to Jace and Clary looked at Isabelle confused.

"Why would Jace take your clothes to his house?" She asked, and Isabelle laughed again,

"Oh, those are all yours Clary." She said with a grin. Clary's mouth opened and then closed and then opened again.

"But... how? I mean... Is, I didn't pay for any of that... shit, I didn't even try any of it on." She looked confused and Jace had to fight the sudden urge to kiss her. Her mouth was open slightly, her eyes wide. Isabelle waved her hand dismissing Clary's words.

"Next is Victoria's Secret. You'll actually have to try those things on." Isabelle said, winking across the table at Jace. Clary shook her head, and Isabelle stopped her, "Nope, my treat. No use fighting. We also have to get us both dresses for family dinner tomorrow night." Jace looked over at Isabelle confused himself now.

"Mom invited all of us to family dinner tomorrow night, she even invited Simon, I'm sure Clary will be invited to." Jace looked over at Simon, who was suddenly very interested in the tomato on his plate and it dawned on him that this was all a part of Simon's plan. He would propose tomorrow night.

"Well, she definitely needs a new dress then." Jace said before finishing his food. "We going to mom's or out?" He asked his sister.

"Mom is cooking!" Isabelle said her voice excited. Jace nodded and then started to stand,

"I have to get to the bar and do some work, I'll see you ladies tonight, and you tomorrow Simon." They all exchanged goodbyes before heading in their different directions. Jace picked up the dozens of bags left by his sister, suddenly glad he had given her his card as he saw the bags full of soft fabrics and light colors. Clary deserved something good, and if all he could give her was a new wardrobe he would take it.


	5. Chapter 5

Alright guys, sorry its taken so long, i've Been...busy. You may notice the rating changed to M...thats because of this chapter. I'm not getting laid in real life (yay divorce) so I'm writing it out here. It's not super graphic, but...it's here. Sorry not sorry haha. Anyways. This is all I have written so far, so no promises on the next update, but I'm not kidding when I say that you guys following/commenting is a little ray of light in an otherwise super crap few weeks. So...thanks. Anyways, HERE IT IS

The rest of the day seemed to go by slowly, barely at a trickle as Jace did his work at the bar. Inventory was never his favorite part of the job, but today it was almost unbearable. It was almost 7 when he got a text from Clary,

"Iz wants me to stay the night at her place so we can get ready for tomorrow's dinner together. Save me?" Jace laughed out loud

"What my sister wants my sister gets. I'll see you at dinner tomorrow night." He replied and his shoulders sagged as he realized that meant he wouldn't see the girl for another 24 hours. The bar was about to open and he wasn't in the mood, so he opted to finish what he was working on and head back to his house. The drive seemed to take no time at all as he tried to kill time before dinner the next night. He ordered Chinese, ate, and watching a movie. Finally it was almost 10 and he started to head up the stairs to his room. His phone ringing caught his attention and he looked down to see his sisters name on her phone.

"What's up Iz?" He asked opening his bedroom door.

"She's crying." She said simply. Jace could feel his chest constrict.

"Do you want me to come over?" He asked, already looking for his keys.

"No, I think we will be okay. I just...she's so scared. The pizza guy knocked on the door and she had a meltdown. He can't find her here though, right?" Isabelle actually sounded worried. Jace sighed,

"I mean, I haven't checked her phone for tracking, so technically he could. You still have your gun right?" He asked suddenly worried. Jace and Alec had insisted that she get a gun and take a few classes when she decided at 18 that she wanted to live by herself. Izzy made a quick 'mhmm' into the phone "Just make sure you know where it is, and call me if you need me Isabelle." She gave him a quick affirmation before getting off the phone. Jace flopped into his bed, trying to suppress the worry from his mind. Jordan couldn't be so stupid as to go after Clary while she was staying with someone else, that would be insane. He rolled over on his bed and was surprised when he found the bed smelled like Clary. Embarrassment covered his face as he pulled his face from her pillow. A few minutes later Jace was asleep, his face still on her side of the bed.

The next morning Jace woke up to his phone vibrating.

"good morning"

He smiled and sent back a reply before heading down to the gym in his basement. After working out harder than usual, he showered quickly, and picked up his phone. He couldn't help be disappointed that there were no messages from the girl.

"Green or black?" A message came in from his sister. He furrowed his brow and replied,

"For?"

"Don't ask, just answer."

"Green" he responded. Before the past few days black would have always been his answer, but since meeting Clary's green eyes the first time he saw the color everywhere. With no more messages from either girl he started to get ready for the day. A message from his mother came in about the dinner, and then one from Simon, in a flurried panic.

"What if she says no?" Jace laughed

"She won't." He replied. She had been talking about marrying Simon since their second date, after four years she was probably going to gut punch him for waiting this long.

"What should I say?" Simon asked and Jace rolled his eyes,

"I'll be over in an hour Si." He responded before getting dressed and throwing on his shoes. He had meant to spend the day finishing inventory at the bar, but family came first, and Simon was about to be family.

Four hours later Simon and Jace were sitting in front of Simon's TV playing a video game and cursing at each other, all nerves forgotten. Jace checked his watch, and shoved Simon's leg.

"Time to get dressed lover boy." Jace said pointing to where Simon sat, still in his pajamas. Simon nodded and headed towards his room, "Wear some nice jeans, and maybe the jacket from the suit she got you for that party last year." Jace added. Simon couldn't dress up too much or Isabelle would suspect something, but he couldn't be in a gamer t-shirt, since Jace was sure Iz would want something a little more. Simon came out and Jace stood dusting off his jeans where he had been sitting on the floor.

"This is the spare room." Simon said tilting his head to the closed door. "I'm gunna talk to Clary about it tonight." He said as Jace opened the door. The room was decently sized, and had its own bathroom. Jace was sure that Clary would say yes, and the thought of it made him almost sad.

"She will love it. Now let's go to dinner." He said heading towards the door. "You're bringing this on yourself though ya know?" He asked turning to Simon, at the boys confused look he laughed, "Wedding planning with Isabelle. I'd rather find myself in one of the SAW movies." He said with another laugh. Simon paled for a moment before squaring up his shoulders. The drive to his mother's house seemed to take forever with Simon vibrating in the seat next to him. The ring in his pocked being flashed every few minutes. As they turned down the road he stopped the car and stared across the car.

"Simon, put the ring away, it'll be fine. Seriously." His voice was shorter than he intended but he was ready to see Clary.

Simon nodded and put the ring away as they turned into the drive. Jace jumped out of the car and headed into the house. They were there before the girls, no surprise. Maryse greeted them both with a kiss on the cheek, looking a Simon with a huge, unrestrained smile.

"Tonight's the night hm?" She asked and he nodded, putting his hand on his pocket. She smiled and turned back to the kitchen. A few moments later they heard the front door open and Isabelle stepped in, wearing a dark red dress that was skin tight at the top and flared out around her hips. Black heels and soft curls finished her look. Jace was glad she had decided to dress up, he was sure Alec would bring his camera and she would want to look her best. Jace's eyes fell behind her as Clary came in the door. His jaw was loose as he looked at the girl in front of him. She wore a knee length dark green dress. It looked like it had been made for her as it fell in waves around her, tight enough to show her figure but not so tight as to be revealing like what his sister wore. Her lips were painted blood red and he eyes had glitter. She was laughing at something Isabelle said until her eyes fell onto Jace. Her words stopped and his sister grinned at him before pushing Clary forward.

"You look beautiful red." Jace said, looking down at her.

"You don't look half bad yourself Jace." She said with an embarrassed pink on her cheeks. Jace reached down and pressed his lips to her cheeks. A throat was cleared behind them and Jace moved to let his mother through

"You must be Clarissa." She said, her voice inviting.

"Oh please, call me Clary." Clary said reaching out her hand to shake Maryse's. Maryse laughed and stepped forward to pull Clary into a hug. Clary seemed caught off guard for a moment before hugging her back. "You have a beautiful home." She said motioning towards the house.

"Nonsense, I have a fine house, my home is far more beautiful." his mother amended, looking around the room where Alec and Magnus had just appeared. The meaning to her words were lost on no one. In the divorce Robert had taken the house they grew up in, and Maryse had never fought him on it. That house had been more of a mansion. Far too big and too gaudy. This house was smaller, a few bedrooms and bathrooms, but was plenty for what she needed. She had told her children during the divorce that that house was not her home, they were, and Robert could keep the walls they had once lived in, she would take them instead. Maryse walked back into the kitchen calling that food was ready, before making her way to the table. The dinner passed quickly as most everyone ate everything present, Clary even managing more than a few bites. After dinner Maryse suggested going to the living room to relax. Armed with a few bottles of a wine and some glasses, they all headed into the room. Simon, Alec, and Jace stayed a step behind, sharing a glance before heading into the room where the ladies and Magnus were.

"Hey Iz." Simon started and all eyes were suddenly on him. Isabelle turned and looked at him, and then around the room. Her eyes flickered with realization a moment before Simon started speaking.

"I had a speech prepared. But you honestly look so beautiful I can't even think of it. So... here goes nothing. I love you. You know that. You've been my everything for the last four years, and I'd like to spend the rest of my years with you. I know I can't offer you much. I'm just me. But I'd like to spend the rest of my life just me, and just you, together. So... will you be my wife? Will you marry me?" The words were out and Simon was in front of his sister, down on one knee. The room was completely silent and Jace realized even he was holding his breath.

"Did you think I would say no?!" Isabelle shouted before pulling Simon to his feet and kissing him hard on the mouth.

"That's not an answer Isabelle." Simon said from under her mouth. She shook her head, tears freely flowing down her face.

"Yes, of course I'll marry you." She said holding her hand out. Simon slowly slipped the ring on her finger and her eyes lit up. A bright flash lit up the room and they all looked to where Alec was standing sheepishly.

"I had to." He said simply with a motion of his shoulders. They all cheered as Isabelle looked at the ring on her hand. For a moment Jace had forgotten Clary was even there before she walked over to Simon to congratulate him.

"Good job Lewis." She said lightly punching him in the shoulder. Simon hugged her and whispered something in her ear. She nodded before pulling back and retreating to the other side of the room. Everyone was talking at once, congratulations spilling out. Magnus and Isabelle already talking about dates and dresses and venues. Jace made his way over to where Clary stood, a strange look on her face.

"You okay?" He asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah... I'm so happy for him." She said quietly.

"Guessing it wasn't like this for you?" He asked, hardly needing her to confirm his suspicion.

"Nah, he put the ring on my hand while I was asleep. When I asked him about it the next day he told me we were getting married. He already had picked out a date the venue and a caterer." Clary pulled her arms around herself. "Simon said I could come stay at this place, said he has an extra room." She added. Jace nodded,

"You may wanna wait till tomorrow for that" he said, pointing to where Izzy and Simon were making out in the corner. She shuddered and laughed,

"Yeah... tonight should be all about them." She agreed. She looked down at her feet, "I can get a hotel tonight Jace, I'm sure you don't want to put up with me anymore." She added keeping her eyes downcast.

"There are so many things wrong with that statement Clarissa." Jace said, pulling her face to look at him. "First and foremost is that you are welcome to stay at my place as long as you want to. I like having you there." He said quietly, "second is I don't want you to be alone yet... I know it's not my business...but I worry." Clary pulled her face from his hands,

"You heard him Jace. I'm not even a spark." She said, self loathing so clear in her voice that Jace felt like screaming. She slowly walked out of the house, and Jace looked back at everyone else, his mother was at his side in an instant,

"Go get her." She said her voice firm. Jace nodded and grabbed his coat off the back of the chair and taking it with him. In the dark of the outside it was difficult to see where she was sitting beside an old tree. He walked to her, handing the jacket down to her, before joining her on the ground.

"Clary." He said, taking her hand into his. He could feel the chill that was already setting into her skin. She stood, and he shot up beside her. She was so small next to him. He wrapped his coat over her shoulders as she shivered.

"why are you helping me? I'm... worthless." She said quietly. Jace practically growled at her words.

"Clary, you clearly don't see yourself through anyone else's eyes. Simon loves you, Iz already calls you her best friend. And don't you feel this." He said pointing between the two of them, at the currents of electricity that always seemed to form when they were close enough to touch. She looked up at him and sighed, wiping at her face hard.

"I'm so tired of crying." She said quietly. She shifted from foot to foot and Jace pulled her towards his chest. She gave in to the heat of his body and pressed her hands up against his chest, looking him in the eye. Jace's head told him to stop, but his body and heart acted on their own, leaning down and capturing her lips with his. The kiss was soft, the air around them silent except the buzz of electricity. He felt her hands tighten on his shirt as she kissed him back, the kiss slowly evolving. It started out as a simple kiss, and then he had his hands on her hips pulling her ever slightly closer to him. He could feel her heart beat erratic against his.

"Jonathan Christopher! That is NOT what I meant." Maryse's voice came from behind him. Clary broke away, her face flushed and red. Jace turned to his mother, a playful smirk on his face,

"You know you've gotta be more specific with me mom." He said with a laugh.

"You... you've got... a little something." She said pointing to his mouth before she turned and walked back inside laughing. Jace wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and he came back with a smear of red lipstick. He turned and smiled at Clary who was still standing completely still, frozen in embarrassment.

"Let's go inside Clary." He said holding out a hand towards her. She looked up at him shyly before taking his hand, he stopped her under the lights of the porch and kissed her again lightly, before pushing her into the powder room by the front door. She came out a minute later, her mouth free of the red, all telling lipstick. Everyone else was sitting around the living room. Isabelle on Simon's lap, Alec with Magnus's head on his lap, Maryse on a chair, leaving the small loveseat. Maryse handed them each a glass before holding up a bottle of red and a bottle of white. Clary pointed to the white and Jace to the red. Isabelle looked over at Clary for a moment before settling on her lips, a moment later a smile graced Isabelle's face as she sipped her wine. Conversation seemed to flow easily between the group as they all discussed wedding things, among other things.

"You'll be my best man, won't you Clary?" Simon asked, his voice thick with emotion. Clary looked at him with a sweet smile,

"Does that mean I get to wear a tux?" She asked taking another sip of her wine. Isabelle and Jace along with Magnus all resounded with a loud "no." While Simon shrugged,

"You'd look better in a dress, but if you wanna wear a tux I'll just assume your date will be a few dozen cats." The room burst out in laughter and Clary leaned in to where Jace's arm had found its way around her. An hour later everyone was leaving. Clary felt light and tipsy, no doubt due to the four or so glasses of wine Maryse had poured. Jace helped her into his car and said goodbye to everyone before getting in and starting the drive to his home. They arrived and Clary was barely inside before she was chucking the shoes Isabelle had made her wear across the room.

"I hate heels." She said simply as she sprawled out on Jace's couch. Jace laughed and sat in the arm chair beside her, debating on if he wanted to grab a beer or just sleep. "Do you happen to have wine?" Clary asked looking up at him from the couch.

"I don't think you need any more wine Clary." Jace laughed. Her expression turned sour and she stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. She sat up and walked over to where Jace was sitting, pouting her lip in his direction.

"But I want more wine." She whined. Jace couldn't help how he reacted to her mouth being so close to his. He reached up and pulled her down into his lap pulling her face to his. This kiss wasn't as sweet as the one earlier. There was heat, more heat than Jace cared to admit. Her hands were at the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her. Jace's hand traced over her bare thigh where the dress rode up on her. She whimpered into his mouth and he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers.

"We should stop." He said quietly. Clary closed her eyes and nodded slowly.

"I wouldn't want me either." She said with a short laugh. In an instant they were standing and Jace had Clary pulled against him. Their bodies flush with each other. He bent down, taking her mouth with his again. He put his hand on her lower back pushing her against him.

"Can't you FEEL, how much I want you Clarissa." He growled out, she gasped quietly as he reached down to kiss her again. He let her go, pushing back slightly. "What I want doesn't matter. We can't do this, not now." He said, his voice thick with conviction.

"We are adults Jace. We can do whatever we want." She said, her voice heavy with implications. Jace shook his head, pulling her towards his bedroom with him.

"You're drunk Clary. Let's go to sleep." He said, his voice dark with finality. She sighed out loud and let him drag her towards the bedroom. They got into the room and he pushed Clary up against his door, kissing her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck pulling herself closer to him. She gasped as his tongue traced her lips, begging for entrance, entrance she was more than happy to give. Their mouths fought for dominance for what felt like eternity before Jace pulled away, kissing down the side of her neck before reaching behind her to unzip her dress. He pulled away and pulled off his T-shirt and handed it to her. She pulled the shirt on over her bra before unhooking her bra and pulling it off under the shirt. There she stood in his room, her breathing heavy, her lips swollen, wearing nothing but his T-shirt. He groaned to himself before stripping off his socks and shoes and jeans, leaving him in just boxers. He pulled her towards the bed and then against his chest. "Sleep pretty girl, before we do something we both regret." She ground her back against him for a moment, drawing out a true moan from him before settling down. He could almost feel her smile as she fell asleep.

The next morning Jace woke up, his entire body felt unusually warm. He peeled his eyes open and realized he wasn't alone. In his arms was a petite girl, Clary. He smiled to himself as he ached to pull her tighter against his body. He fought the urge so she could continue to sleep. He could hear her breathing, and then his name came off of her lips, just a whisper, but enough to keep the smile on his face. Her phone started going off and he closed his eyes again, pretending to be asleep as she slowly detangled herself from his arms. He missed her warm immediately.

"What do you want Jordan." She asked quietly, he was sure she just was trying not to wake him.

"I know where you are." The voice over the phone said, the menacing tone cutting through the silent air.

"Jordan, you have her. You don't need me anymore. Just leave me alone. I swear, you can keep the money and my things, just let me go." She begged. He could hear her voice start to break and he wanted nothing more than to get up and to comfort her.

"You only want me to leave you alone this time because you're fucking someone new." The angry voice said.

"I'm not fucking anyone Jordan. I have been staying with a friend." She said her voice raising slightly. "You can't keep calling me. You can't keep showing up where I am." She continued, "You almost got caught at the mall. You're lucky Isabelle doesn't know what you look like. She would have called the damn police." Jace felt himself stiffen. So Jordan had followed his sister and Clary in the mall. He rolled over and Clary whispered a goodbye into the phone before hanging up. Jace sat up, his eyes dark as he took in Clary's incredible bed head and the way his T-shirt was riding up her legs.

"He was at the mall." Jace stated more than asked. Clary sighed sitting on the edge of the bed and nodded.

"He won't leave me alone. I'm... I'm scared." She said lamely.

"He won't hurt you again Clary." Jace said, his voice strong. She shook her head,

"I'm not scared he will hurt me. What about you, or your sister, what about Alec?" She asked, standing up and beginning to pace, "What if he finds me at Simon's. Simon can't hardly keep a house plant alive, he couldn't protect himself." She ran her hands through her hair pulling it towards the end. Jace was sure if she wasn't careful she would pull chunks of her hair out completely.

"Clary, we are all adults, we can take care of ourselves. Please calm down. Izzy has a gun, Alec and I took martial arts, and Simon...Simon you might could worry about." Jace added with a laugh that didn't reach his eyes. If Jordan had an inkling of how much Simon meant to the red head he was sure that would be where he would strike, and Clary was right that Simon couldn't protect himself in the least. "Clary, I think we need to press charges. Like with a lawyer." Jace said carefully. He watched as her face went through more emotions than he could list. It started with Anger, and then fear and disbelief, followed by defeat.

"I know you are right, but I don't even know where to start." She said her arms waving around.

"I do." Jace said his tone soothing, "I've...already started" he said, unsure as to how she would react. She looked up at him in surprise as he continued. "The doctor...from the ER, he gave me some pictures...and my mom and dad are both lawyers..." he trailed off hoping she would understand.

"You did WHAT?" She yelled, her hands flying to her face. Jace stood and reached out to pull her towards him. "No, don't touch me." She said, her voice biting. "You did all this without my permission? Behind my back? You told your whole family?" Her voice was rising and Jace was sure she was going to swing at him. She looked at him for another moment before she started to shake and then her legs fell out from beneath her and she was falling. Jace slammed his body forward, hitting the ground a second before her, so she landed on his chest. The shaking didn't stop, and it took Jace a moment to realize this was another seizure and this time there were no nurses to help. He rolled her up onto her side the way he had seen the nurses do, and laid down behind her on the floor, pulling her body tight to his. It only lasted a few seconds, but that was more like an eternity to Jace. The tremors stopped a full minute later, and her eyes fluttered open, looking around confused. She moved her head and then looked at Jace trying to get out from under him. "I told you not to touch me." She said, her voice laced with venom.

"You had a goddamn seizure Clarissa. I wasn't going to let you flail around on the hard wood floors." He shot back, his voice cold and hard. "Maybe you should go to Simon's" he said, turning and walking out of the bedroom. He could hear Clary call his name from behind him but his anger told him to keep walking. He sat on the couch in the living room, in his black boxers, waiting for Clary to make her presence known. A few minutes later she came out of the bedroom, still in just the T-shirt and looked at him.

"I'm sorry Jace." She said quietly, her eyes red and full of tears.

"I shouldn't have talked to my mother without your permission." He responded, the cold edge to his voice still there. "I made you..." he shook his head, placing his face in his hands, "You had a seizure because of me." He said unable to look at her. The room was quiet until he heard her footsteps approaching.

"Jace...they happen. It's not the first and it probably won't be the last. You didn't make it happen, I just let myself panic and then it happened. You can't blame yourself for my literal brain damage." She said calmly, putting her hands on his shoulders. He looked up at her and could see the guilt she felt in her eyes, and knew it was mirrored in his own. "If ... if you think your mom can help, then maybe we should go see her." She added. Reaching down to play with the hem of the shirt she was wearing. Jace stood up, walking towards his room, Clary only a step behind him. He knew it was wrong, how much he needed her, needed to feel her heartbeat and know that she was okay, but he couldn't fight it. He leaned down and brought his lips to hers, carefully. Putting his arms around her back. She pulled herself up around his neck and he caught her in his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist. He could feel her body up against his, separated by the thin cotton of a shirt. He could feel the heat from the core of her body against him as he pushed her up against the wall, their mouths moving in perfect sync, as if they had done this a million times before. He pulled back for a moment before reaching the hem of his shirt and pulling it from he body. Her naked chest was against his and he struggled to find the self control to put her down and get dressed. She moaned against his mouth as his hand trailed up her side and he could feel the will he had starting to break. He pulled back, resting his forehead against hers as they both tried to collect their breathing and steady themselves.

"Make me forget." She whispered before capturing his lower lip between her teeth. Those three words were his undoing. He pulled her from the wall, though she was still wrapped all around him, and slowly brought her over to the bed. He laid down, keeping her on top of him, letting her control everything. Seconds later the last bits of clothing they retained were gone and she was all he could feel. She was above him, all around him, in way he knew they may regret later but he couldn't bring himself to stop now. She was hot, burning up every part of his body she could touch, his mouth was on her, kissing every inch of skin he could reach. They breathed together, the only sounds were the sounds of skin on skin, of their breathing and moans, slowly moving with each other towards the finish line. He tried to hold on to himself, to wait for her, but with her all around him his self control was all but completely lost. When he felt her tighten around him with her release he found his a second later, spiraling into the white. She laid on top of him still for a moment, until her breathing evened out, and then she slowly started to peel her body from his. He wrapped his arms around her, stilling her movements for a moment.

"Don't leave. Not yet." He pleaded softly. She sighed and stilled over him, listening to his heartbeat under her ear.

"I need a shower." She said quietly, and he laughed looking down at her and nodded.

"Want some company?" He asked, already ready and wanting her again. She stood slowly, making her way towards the bathroom. Stopping right before the door to look back at him.

"Well come on then." She said with a laugh before walking into the bathroom and turning on the shower. Jace was only two steps behind her as she got under the water.

By time they left the shower the water had run cold and they were both shivering as they dried off. Clary looked down at the mark on her chest and sighed. Pointing at the obvious 'love bite' and then shaking her finger at him. Jace laughed, the sound free and unguarded. Clary smiled up at him as she made her way towards the bags of clothes Isabelle had purchased the day before. She pulled out a high waisted pair of jeans and a turtle neck, to cover the marks Jace had left on her. Jace watched as Clary pulled her hair into a tight bunch on the top of her head, walking over and kissing the back of her neck and she shuddered into his touch.

"Jace, if we keep up like this we won't get anything done." She scolded playfully. He sighed against her neck and released her, shoving her away.

"If you weren't so gorgeous this wouldn't be a problem." He said in a matter of fact tone. She laughed and pulled on socks and her converse . Jace grabbed his letterman jacket and passed it to her as they got ready to walk out the door.

"Iz actually got me a coat, so... I don't need to wear this." She said with a laugh and Jace couldn't help the ting of sadness as he nodded and turned to hang it back up. He shook away the thought and turned back to her, her face holding an almost knowing expression. "If it bothers you, I'll wear it." She said kindly and he shook his head.

"I'm not usually this...territorial." He said with a shake of his head. Clary laughed and pulled on the black pea coat that Isabelle had bought her. It fit around her perfectly and Jace loved how it hugged her curves. They walked out to his car and got in. The ride to his mother's was full of innocent questions, getting to know each other in a different way. It was funny how they both refused to acknowledge the fact that their favorite colors had changed recently, Clary answering gold and Jace answering Green, for the same reason. They had completely opposite taste in music for the most part, though Jace accepted that at the club he had to play pop music and not the metal that he most days preferred. Clary, for reasons Jace could not fathom, liked country music, almost exclusively. Jace confided in her that he played piano, guitar, and could sing with reasonable skill. She admitted that singing was her favorite, though she was terrible and that she could draw and paint well. She admitted that since she finished her degree in art she had planned to be an art teacher and to many sell some of her work

"Jordan wouldn't let me get a job when I finished school, I guess he didn't want to risk anyone seeing the marks." She said with a sad smile. "I'll have to find a job soon though, I can't mooch off you and Simon and Isabelle forever. I already owe Iz I don't know how much money for all that clothes." She said rolling her eyes.

"Actually, she used my credit card for all of that" Jace replied without thinking.

"Jace!" She exclaimed "That was stupid! You can't give Izzy that kind of power!" She said laughing. "I'll pay you back as soon as I get a real job." She promised and Jace laughed,

"Clary, unless you guys spent twenty grand, which I guess is possible for my sister, I'm really not even going to notice. When my parents died they left me a considerable amount of money, I finally could touch it when I turned 18. I bought the bar, as an investment, so I haven't really touched the money." He said as he pulled up to a tall building. "This is mom's office, she might be in a meeting, I'm not sure." He said handing his keys to the valet and then walking over to help Clary out of her seat. The ride up the elevator was tense as the urge to touch her overwhelmed Jace's senses. They walked in and Jace saw Seelie on a phone call. He stood quietly as she finished and then looked up at him sweetly,

"Jace, twice in one week, I must be in heaven." She said with a flirtatious laugh. Jace felt Clary stiffen slightly at his side and laughed out loud.

"And how would your wife feel, knowing you think seeing me is Heaven See?" He asked, his voice teasing

"Ya know... I might consider changing teams for you honey" she said with an overzealous wink. "Your mother should be finishing up her meeting any minute, feel free to take a seat in the lobby." She waved them towards the room full of brown couches before taking the ringing phone again. Jace and Clary continued their game of questions until they heard Maryse's door open. She looked over at Jace and then to where Clary was beside him and frowned.

"I guess we are actually going to take steps now?" She asked, her ton professional and short. Jace nodded seriously.

"I'm thinking we can at least get a restraining order to start with, we need to turn off the tracking on her phone but I don't want to alert him to us actively working against him until we already have a protective order." Jace said, his voice all business. Maryse nodded before pulling out the file that Jace had handed her from the doctor.

"Clary, you're gunna have to look at all these and tell me what you can, can you do that?" She asked softly. Clary looked at Jace and then at his mother. She seemed to understand quickly, "Jace, honey, why don't you go flirt with Seelie a bit more and leave Clary and I to it." She asked. He stopped for a moment, trying not to feel hurt that Clary didn't want him there.

"Jace, baby, I'll tell you about all of this another time...but not like this..." she Clary said to him, her voice soothing the burn he felt. He nodded and stood, giving her a quick kiss on the top of her head before seeing himself out. He sat in the office on his phone contemplating the rest of his day. It was the middle of the week, so he wasn't needed at the bar, and Isabelle and Simon were probably still pretty wrapped up in each other. That meant him and Clary had time to go out to themselves. He grinned as he realized that he still hadn't taken her on the date he had promised her in the hospital. He slowly started to plan things in his head, a real date with the girl would be complicated, for one they still had to worry about her ex showing up unannounced at any moment. Jace grimaced at the thought of having to face off with the man in public. A sick and twisted part of him hoped that he would show up at his house while Clary was there. Stand your ground was a real law and Jace was not afraid in the least to use that legality to do real damage to the prick. Jace went through restaurant ideas on his phone for a while before giving up and staring at the door that his mom and his... and Clary still sat behind. What felt like an eternity later Clary came out of the office, followed shortly by Maryse.

"Well, we have enough to get a restraining order without a problem." His mother said, her demeanor calm but behind her eyes Jace could easily see the fear, the worry, and the anger. Clary twisted her hands together in front of herself, looking at the floor. Her eyes were pink, probably from tears shed.

"I'm going to run to the bathroom." Clary said quietly before excusing herself. Maryse sagged down into one of the arm chairs in the lobby, running her hand through her hair.

"I'm going to call Robert, I think this case is much better suited to him." She said with a sigh. "Jace, that girl has been through hell. Don't you dare mess with her mind." She said, her tone full of warning. Jace tucked his head, he knew he deserved the kind of scolding he was getting. He had never really been nice to girls before. He didn't really do relationships. He was a one night stand kind of guy and he didn't really have any interest in changing it before the insane weekend he had experienced. Maryse nodded stiffly. "I'll try to have the protective order sent to him before this week is over." She added. "You'll have to take her to meet your father, I'll send him what I have." Jace was always surprised at how civil his mother could be about his father. She was the toughest woman he had ever met, well, until he met Clarissa. Clary came back in then, her eyes still trained on the floor. Jace reached out almost on instinct and took her hand. She gave him a weak smile and they said their goodbyes to his mother.

"Maybe you should take me to Simon's." Clary said as they got in the car. Jace's chest clenched but he slowly nodded.

"You'll have your own bedroom there...and I know Si would be happy to have you there." He said diplomatically. They drove back to the house in relative silence. Jace ran inside and grabbed Clary's bags, bringing them down to the car. They arrived at his future brother's house less than ten minutes later and Clary let Jace carry her things to the door.


	6. Chapter 6

So this is the final chapter. I had no idea this would be it until I started writing it. It's short and sweet. I'm feeling it. I don't honestly have any idea if I'll write another story, at this point my life is super insane. But here it is. The end of my first story...

Clary knocked on the door and Isabelle answered after a few moments, opening the door wide enough for Jace and Clary to walk in. Jace took Clary's stuff down the hall and set it in her new bedroom. He tried not to be disappointed that she was leaving, he knew that this would give her her own space, and she would be with her childhood best friend.

"Sick of him already?" Isabelle asked Clary from the other room, Jace stood in the hallway, waiting to hear her response.

"No! It's nothing like that..." Clary responded, her voice trailing on "I just feel like maybe it's too fast. I need...space." She finished, her voice distant. Jace's shoulders sagged, he couldn't help but feel anger rise up in himself. He had been so set on what he wanted and what he felt for the girl that he hadn't stopped to think about what she wanted or needed. She was just coming out of what had been a very long relationship and Jace was so set on having her he hadn't considered he might not be what was best for her.

"alright red, you're stuff is in your room." Jace said, finally coming around the corner, his arms crossed over his chest. Clary nodded,

"Thanks Jace." She said, her voice quiet.

"I have to head to the bar, I've been away a bit too much this week, but text me if you need anything." He said, his voice slightly more detached than he intended. He turned quickly, and walked towards the door. His hand was on the door before he felt a small hand on his arm. He turned around to see Clary, her eyes once again wet, she reached up and hugged him, whispering a thank you in his ear before he walked out the door.

SIX MONTHS LATER

Time seemed to move more slowly than Jace had imagined possible. The club was doing great, his family was wonderful. The wedding planning was in full swing and he fully felt pity for his soon to be brother-in-law as things moved ahead without breaking. Jace tried to ignore the pang in his chest when he saw Clary at family dinners. She was breathtaking, even more so than when he had first met her. It had taken Isabelle a month to break her, but since then she had started eating and working out. The bruises and scars seemed to fade out against the brightness of the smile she wore most of the time. Jace had connected her with his father for the case against her ex and he hadn't heard a peep about it since. It drove him crazy, being unsure what was happening, if she was safe. Jace knew from Isabelle that she had gotten a job teaching small art classes at the local library. Isabelle kept pretty quiet about her though, and would only answer direct questions. Jace looked down and say his sister's name on his caller ID.

"Jace. Can you come to the courthouse?" She asked before he even had a chance to say hello.

"What's going on?" He asked quickly, standing from his usual spot at the bar.

"The judge is deliberating now. Clary is a wreck." She said quietly.

"I don't see how me coming in will be any help." He answered, his voice cold.

"She asked for you." Isabelle replied. Jace sighed in defeat.

"I'll be there in 15 minutes Iz." He answered before hanging up and grabbing his keys.

The drive to the courthouse seemed to be more miles than he remembered, but he made it there and parked in record time. He took the stairs up the front two at a time as he pulled out his phone to call his sister back. Before he had a chance a bright flash of red hurtled towards him at a speed that almost knocked him back when they connected.

"Hey red, what's up?" He asked as she buried herself in his chest. Isabelle ran out the door behind her, followed by Simon and then shortly after followed by his father.

"Guilty." She mumbled into his chest. He pulled her back to look at her, trying to keep himself from holding her too tight. He had learned his lesson on that earlier.

"What'd you say Clare?" He asked looking down at her face, a radiant smile forming over her lips.

"They found him guilty Jace. He's going to jail." Jace's breath caught in his chest and he picked her up, swinging her around in a small circle.

"I knew they would. You're free now Clary. You can do whatever you want." He said pulling her closer to his chest. Isabelle walked over and put her hand on Clary's shoulder, and Simon stood behind her a smile on his face as well. Jace pulled away from Clary as his father approached. They had only spoken a handful of times since the divorce, and while this didn't absolve his father from his wrong doings it certainly helped in Jace's eyes. He walked over to his father sticking out his hand for the man to shake. "Thanks Robert." He said honestly.

"She didn't want you there for the trail." Robert said quietly. Jace looked at him in surprise. "She didn't want to put you through this, or for you to see everything that happened. She's free now son. It wasn't an easy case. But she won. It was the least I could do for your family." Robert finished, dropping his hands to his sides. Jace smiled and nodded before walking over to where his sister stood hand in hand with Simon, congratulations spewing from their mouths. Clary's smile was brilliant, and her eyes shone as Jace approached the group. She said something to the couple in front of her before they started their way down the large steps. She turned to Jace her smile faltering momentarily.

"I...I'm sorry. I know I've been...distant." She started. Jace started to interrupt her, to tell her he understood and she put up her hand to stop him. "I needed to do this on my own. I didn't want you to sit in that court room and look at me with the pity I saw on everyone's face. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I let you walk away without explaining myself." She shifted on her feet, looking down at the ground. "You said I could do whatever I want, that I was free. And you're right. And I understand if you moved on, if there is someone else. It's been a long time and all... But really all I want is you." Her voice wavered slightly as pink flashed across her cheeks. Jace's heart beat in his chest felt like it would explode. He took a hesitant step towards her, lifting her face with his thumb so he could look her in the eye.

"Clary, there can't be anyone else. There hasn't been anyone else." Her eyes widened slightly before his lips caught hers. The kiss wasn't long, it wasn't the most intense kiss they had shared, but in it Jace could feel the promises of more to come. He pulled away, resting his forehead against hers.

"Who knew, that this was what would happen, when I took a drunk girl home."


End file.
